Heated Secrets
by embracing-shadows
Summary: Nick slowly uncovers Greg's past, one secret at a time, and along the way they fall in to each others arms, happily in love. SLASH
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!

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Even at night the heat of the Las Vegas desert barely lessoned, the dusty dryness still lingered in the air. The night shift of CSIs were just coming off duty and were headed out to celebrate breaking open a huge case. They headed straight for the large new casino on the strip, laughing and pushing each other around the parking lot when they all piled out of their respective cars. Warrick eyed the dinging bells and flashing lights of the machines warily, but his friends had faith in his strength over his old addiction.

The group trudged in and took a table along the back wall, joking amongst themselves as they all waited impatiently for the waitress to come over. Being heroes that solved big cases and saved lots of lives worked up big appetites. In no time at all they were all salivating over their dishes and going at them with gusto. Even the usually more refined women gave up on manners in their rush to quell the hunger in their bellies. Although it must be admitted that they didn't quite go so far as the men, who found forks and knives unnecessary. After the food had been consumed they all kicked back with beers, happy to stay and pat each other on the back.

Greg had his feet up on an extra chair and the hand not holding his beer bottle was raised to rest behind his head. He felt comfortable and at peace for a few moments at least. He watched as Nick and Warrick struck up a game of Punch You Punch Me and grinned. Warrick was taller but Nicky was stronger than he looked, and the African-American was seen to wince after only a few punches. Grissom half-heartedly discouraged their behavior, but his attention was fixed on the game of hangman he and Brass were playing on a napkin. Greg felt that the game was totally out of character for his two elders, but didn't say a word. They were enjoying themselves. It also provided a chance for Sara and Catherine to gossip about Grissom without him glancing at them suspiciously every minute or so. Greg smiled widely as he watched his teammates enjoy themselves and felt privileged that they had all asked him to join them. Greg was not a CSI; he had failed at that. It still stung. But he had been the one to handle most of the evidence that had helped solve this case. When Nick and Warrick had crashed in to his lab breathlessly and invited him along they had said they couldn't have done it without his skills at the microscope.

Greg was sure that they were just high on their success. Surely, he felt, Mia or Hodges could just as easily have gotten the same results. Perhaps not as fast or as accurate as he himself did, but they would have at least gotten it right. Still, he allowed a tiny bit of pride to permeate his being that they appreciated his work. That was one of the reasons he had been reluctant to slip back in to the role of 'lab rat'. Most times it felt as though the work done in the lab went unappreciated, even though cases couldn't be solved without it. He put up with it for two reasons. One: he was still saving lives, if inadvertently. Two: Nick always smiled when he picked up his evidence, and Nick's smile always made Greg's day. So he stayed in his little white lab coat and listened to his loud music while identifying blue sticky substances and researching types of flour to trace crimes back to criminals. He was good at it, at least. Greg was broken from his reverie when a well-aimed crust of bread bounced off the tip of his nose, causing a round of laughter from the whole table. He grinned well spiritedly and searched for the culprit. He was met with Nick and Warrick's grins.

"Greggo, you haven't spoken a word. You shy without your glass walls?" Nick sent a friendly wink his way and Greg fought the blush rising in his cheeks. He tossed the toast piece back, bouncing it off Nick's tan forehead. God Greg wished he could be that tan. As it was, he was white from head to toe, even though he surfed regularly.

"Just watching," he murmured. Warrick leaned forward and thudded his huge arm on to the table.

"I will have you an arm wrestling match, my man," the dark skinned man challenged. Greg was not one to back down from a challenge. He grinned and brought his own arm down from behind his head, taking his feet off their chair.

"I accept," he replied simply, locking his hand with Warrick's. The night shift team threw bets back and forth quickly. The youngest member noted with a secret grin that most were betting on Warrick. He'd show them. The two opponents nodded, then as one began trying to shove the each other's hand down to the table. For all Warrick worked out at the gym and had obvious arm muscles, Greg had hidden a few things behind his baggy coat and long sleeved shirts. The younger man was winning fast, which shocked the older one, which only gave the first a bigger advantage. Only minutes after it began it ended with Warrick's hand gently touching the table and relaxing in defeat. He took it well, if very surprised, as monetary earnings were passed back and forth across the table. Sara leaned over and pulled up Greg's sleeve to his shoulder, and she and Catherine began to chant.

"Flex for us! Flex for us!" Greg tried to pull his sleeve back down, thoroughly embarrassed, but they would have none of it. He rolled his eyes and sheepishly flexed as impressively as he could make it. There were stunned looks as the muscle bulged way out, evenly all down the arm, and catcalls erupted from most of them. Greg hurried to pull down his sleeve again. His strength was not needed on the job and he had never felt a need to show off when the other guys were feeling particularly buff. He didn't mind being seen as a weak, feminine scientist. Other people's opinions did not define him. He urged them to move on to a different topic but Catherine insisted she wanted to feel it. This sparked similar interest all around and the dyed-blonde man was forced to flex time and again so the others could run their hands over his muscles. He did his best to pass off the shiver that wracked him as the chill in the casino when Nick's hand caressed him appreciatively, awe in his eyes. After that he crossed his arms and refused to do it anymore. Sara and Catherine whined a bit but he mock glared them down. They flashed him smiles and turned to tease Grissom about his bad haircut. Warrick declined Nick's mischievous request to play their punching game again, claiming he needed the arm intact. Brass turned and included Greg in the hangman fun, and they dredged up words like 'secretarial' and 'superfluous' to warm up, then they got down to business with 'spatiotemporal' and 'spermophyte'. It made him feel even more included that the boss would bring him in to the random fun. He didn't mention it though. He didn't really need to _enforce_ the opinion that he was effeminate just cause he was geeky. Mostly. None of the team had ever really asked what he did in his off hours. If they did, he was quite sure they wouldn't expect his answer to be surfing, soccer, and parasailing. He smiled to himself as he hung Brass's little stickman with relish.

"You know, I'm supposed to be the boss. You're not supposed to beat me," Brass pointed out hopefully, making him laugh.

"No deal," Greg disagreed as he guessed a letter that made the other man's word all too obvious. So he filled it in and Jim swore, even though he wasn't truly upset. Greg grinned and stretched him arms about his head while his opponent studied the word he had put on the napkin, giving the room a disinterested once-over. His interest snagged as he caught sight of a familiar mop of brown hair sitting at the casino bar. His heart froze in his chest and his fists suddenly clenched so hard they snapped the pen he held. Everyone noticed, and looked at him curiously.

"Greggo, what's up?" Warrick asked, but Greg was deaf to his words. He flowed out of his seat and took off across the casino, not noticing his team jump up with worry and follow. He stormed over to the bar just as fast as his long legs would carry him, dropped a firm hand on that familiar shoulder and spun the young man around. His victim looked up and him, gasped, and cowered down in to their stool.

"You want to explain to me just what the _hell_ you are doing here?!" Greg demanded in a half shout, shaking with anger. The young lad just gaped up at him.

"I, well, um," was all he managed to sputter out. The team sidled closer to watch Greg's temper flare up even higher.

"Nothing to say? How did you get in here?" he asked, his voice shaking with rage. The brunette teen hung his head.

"I used Andrew's ID," he admitted over the noise of someone winning a few rows down at a slot machine. Greg's eyes narrowed dangerously and he grabbed for the young man's arm, dragging him off the stool and walking them both forcefully towards the door with the CSIs following behind, afire with curiosity. They followed Greg in to the parking lot where he let go of the boy's arm and flung his hands in the air once they had reached his sleek silver car.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?" he half yelled again. The teen he had grabbed suddenly flared up too and whipped around to face the scientist.

"Well you did it when you were _fifteen_!" he shouted. Wrong words.

"_Get in the car!_" Greg screamed in his face. Finally the team members could stand it no longer. Nick hopped forward and placed his hand on his friend's arm in an attempt to anchor him to reality and calm him down.

"Whoa Greggo. Cool down, who's this?" The older man asked, turning to study the teen. He was taken aback. It was a mini-Greg! Greg huffed; not even realizing who it was that was asking the question. He didn't take his eyes on the boy while he answered.

"This is my son, and I'll be damned if he isn't in more trouble than he's ever been," Greg blurted loudly in a jagged voice. It wasn't until he heard six sharp intakes of breath that he realized he had just spilled his dirty little secret. His eyes widened as his head spun to take in the shocked faces of his coworkers and he groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Dad…" a small voice ventured out of the young brunette. Greg seemed deflated.

"I told you to get in the car. We're going home." His words were soft now as Greg turned away from his friends and slid in to his car next to his wary son. Without a backward glance he revved and sped out of the parking lot, down the street, and towards the sanctuary of home. The others watched him go, speechless. That lasted only so long as it took Grissom to mention that he knew where Greg lived. Then they were off again.

Greg sat dejectedly on his beige suede couch, elbows resting on his knees, staring blankly at the floor in front of him. Nine years he had known them and never told them that he had a son. Would they feel betrayed? Greg wasn't sure if he wanted to walk in to work tomorrow and face them all. Especially Nick. Ever since his discovery that Nick was bisexual he had held a tiny bit of hope inside that the older man might look his way some day. But a son was baggage, one that Greg would never regret, no matter what the boy did, but one that most people would turn away from. A man with a son was too much trouble. No one wanted to play stepparent. He had been sitting there for almost an hour, simply staring at the floor and resisting the urge to kick himself, when his doorbell chimed from the front hallway. With a sigh he heaved himself off the couch and went to get the door. He opened it to find…everyone! He stared at them blankly, taking in the looks of surprise as they took in his house. Without a word he rolled his eyes and retreated within the home, allowing them to let themselves in, muttering something about their shoes and his carpet, he wasn't sure. He collapsed back on to his couch and buried his face in his hands, listening as the team settled around him in the huge living room. Three immaculate matching high-end couches and two squashy armchairs probably weren't what they were expecting to find in his residence.

"Where is…" Nick tried to ask but trailed off. Greg sighed in to his hands.

"His name's Jason," he said, his voice muffled. "He's in his room. Grounded. Other end of the house." It was quite the formidable house too, so Jason was quite far away.

"How old is he?" Catherine asked. Greg peeked over his fingers and found that she was the only one he could make eye contact with. She knew the trials of single parenthood almost as much as he did.

"Seventeen," he choked out. Her eyes widened as she made a quick calculation.

"You had a kid when you were _sixteen_?" she blurted. He didn't seem the type to her. Greg moaned and buried his face again. Silence reigned until he slumped back in his seat and toyed with his shirt cuffs. He gave them the truth, if not the whole story.

"I started bar-hopping when I was fifteen. Couldn't take…well that's not important. Anyway, I got lots of attention, since I was young and fresh and relatively innocent. I drank too much one night and woke up in someone else's place. I left but…got a call down the road. She didn't want the baby, so I fought for him." He could hear Warrick let out a small whistle.

"You fought a custody battle at sixteen years old?" he breathed. Greg just nodded, unable to look at anyone.

"I had special permission for him to live with me on campus when I got to college and university," he continued. "He was such a quiet kid I could even take him to classes. We lived in bad apartments for a while but when my uncle died, I inherited this place because I was his only relative in Nevada. It stretches my salary but…it's a better place for Jason." He shrugged and waited for responses from the only people he was remotely close to in Vegas – anywhere actually. Greg was kind of lonely, not that he had told them that. It seemed to take forever but Catherine stood up out of the armchair she was settled in to. Greg squeezed his eyes shut, expecting her to leave, and he was surprised to find her arms winding around his neck as she leaned down to hug him. He blinked wildly as he hugged her back.

"If you ever need someone," she said as she pulled back, "you know my number." Grissom chipped in that he could have an extra night off a week whenever he needed it. Warrick expressed his longing to have kids of his own someday, and there were murmurs of agreement from the others. Greg was flabbergasted.

"Just like that?" he asked weakly. They all looked at him funny and offered him smiles. Yeah, just like that. No feelings of betrayal, no hurt. Greg was shaking as he exhaled slowly. Then he rolled his eyes and raised his voice.

"Jason, get back in your room!" he called. The other's blinked, not having heard a thing. Catherine smiled though. Ah, the sixth sense of parenthood.

"But I'm hungry," came the whine from three hallways over. Greg ran a hand through his hair, looking to the ceiling for guidance.

"That's why I made you a sandwich Jason. Go to your room," he called, a note of finality in his voice. He seemed to listen for a moment then nodded in satisfaction when they all heard a door slam shut. Catherine chuckled.

"I feel your pain Greg," she told him. He offered her a tiny smile. Suddenly he found himself overwhelmed with questions about his son and himself. What was his middle name? Alexander. Was he a science geek too? Yes, not surprisingly. How did he deal with Greg on the night shift? He went to night school. What did he like to do? He went surfing and played soccer with Greg. Greg was a surfer? Yes, since he was thirteen. The questions flowed and Greg realized that he knew quite a bit about all the members here – except Brass, who knew Brass? – but that none had ever found out anything about him. He tended to avoid personal questions since they always led to Jason somehow. He smiled at their curiosity, wondering if it was just a way to find out if he had any more secrets. After a while, Sara stifled a yawn, and it started a chain reaction of yawns all around. Eventually they all decided to go home to bed. As they trekked out the door he heard Nick muttering to Warrick.

"I'll go home later, I think someone should stay with him," the tall Texan was saying. Greg's heart fluttered at the thought that Nick was worried about him, but he quelled it. No one wants to play stepparent, he reminded himself. But it was hard to quell his jitters when Nick and he were alone in his home. Work was different. At work Greg could hide in his lab coat and distract Nick with details of evidence and witty banter. Here was no mans land, and he found he had nothing in his head to say except that Nick looked really good that in that shade of blue. Nick didn't stay all that much longer, just long enough to make sure Greg had calmed down, and make sure that he understood that the team still accepted him; he hadn't changed to them. Except for earning a fair bit more respect in their eyes for having the kind of courage and tenacity it took for him to win a custody battle at sixteen and then raise the child alone. When he was gone, Greg stood staring at the door for a very long time. He didn't even hear his son walking up behind him until his soft voice hailed him. Greg couldn't look away from the door though.

"Dad I'm…sorry if I ruined your chance with Nick," the boy whispered. Greg finally made himself turn around and look at his son standing there dejectedly. He sighed and shook his head. Jason had been his saving grace many times. He'd grown up knowing his father was gay and had always accepted him without comment.

"No Jason. I don't think I would have had a chance even if I were a saint," he reassured his son, but consequently sinking himself further down. Jason put a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"Don't do that dad. You don't know that." His eyes were the same velvet brown as Greg's and they shone with concern. Greg just shook his head again and brushed by.

"Go to your room Jason," he threw half-heartedly over his shoulder, retreating in to the loneliness of his own room.

The next evening found Greg in his coat with his microscope, burying himself in his work, not noticing the worried looks of his coworkers. The silence from his radio was deafening for them. Nick insisted on taking the evidence he and Sara processed to Greg himself, and she caved only because she saw Grissom alone in the break room. When the brunette walked in, he found Greg absorbed in an open file in front of him. He was moving to look over the blonde's shoulder when he was noticed and the file was snapped shut urgently. Nick blinked, and then took in the markings on the file.

"Hey that's a rape case. Need any help?" he offered. Greg shook his head emphatically and plastered a great big fake grin on his paler-than-usual face. Instead he distracted Nick by asking for the evidence he carried and requesting details on what he show keep an eye out for. It worked amazingly. Nick felt himself drawn in to the work and he was halfway down the hall again before he realized that Greg had manipulated him so easily. How often did he do that? So he turned back, but stopped in the doorway and saw Greg pouring over, not the fresh evidence, but the case he had been examining when Nick found him. As he stared down in to the file, Nick saw tears fall and he slowly backed out of the room. Was it a personal case? Weren't they forbidden? Before he got a chance to ask Grissom about it he was dragged off by Sara to return to their crime scene.

Nick continued to check in on Greg when ever he could, and always he found Greg with the same file in his hand, sometimes glaring at the pages with hatred, sometimes bitterness, and sometimes a blank dead look. It set Nick afire with the need to know what was in that small manila folder, but he refrained, not wanting to crowd his friend. After two weeks, though, he couldn't take it. A CSI needed answers, and he was one of the best. So he dropped by Greg's rather large house after work one night and knocked on the door. It took a few minutes, but the door was opened by young Jason.

"Nick!" the young man yelped in surprise. Nick's eyebrows shot up.

"Um, I don't believe we've even been introduced," he said cautiously. Jason looked a bit sheepish and scuffed his toe.

"Yeah well dad gets drunk a lot," he said as if it explained everything. The older brunette could only blink and think what the hell that had to do with anything. The teen knew that if his dad found out what he was going to say, he would die a thousand painful deaths and probably not go surfing for the rest of the year. But he leapt for it anyway, on an impulse to help his lonely only parent.

"He always takes out your picture when he's drunk. Got a bunch on his cell. Sometimes he shows them to me." Jason wound down with a carefully careless shrugged, leaving the man in the doorway a trifled staggered. "Anyway," he jumped on, "he's not here, he went back to the lab for a few hours. I dunno why." Jason shrugged and listened to Nick's vague thanks and goodbye, trying not to grin.

Nick's thoughts were fogged as he drove back to the lab he had just come from. It must have been Greg's car that passed him when he was leaving, but he'd been so preoccupied with getting _to_ Greg he hadn't checked. So here he was pulling in to the parking lot and hopping out so fast he almost forgot to lock his doors. And he was speed walking through the hallways, trying to tell himself not to run; running would suggest that he was interested in seeking Greg's interest. Which he wasn't. No not at all. Not for the last few years. Nope. But when a loud and angry "FUCK" resounded down the hall, Nick turned the corner just in time to see Greg throw his carefully organized manila folder across the lab. He swore sulfurously at the scattered pages, waving his arms about in the air, before slumping down on his stool and staring morosely at them. When he didn't move for some time Nick cautiously approached him.

"Hey man," he called softly from the glass doorway. The father figure jumped violently, thinking he had been alone in the lab. He leapt off of his stool and bent with a sigh to gather the papers of the file he had thrown around. Nick also bent down to help and, before Greg could even protest, pulled the closest paper towards him. But he froze when he saw Greg's face staring back at him, the word 'victim' blazing across the top. He was so much younger, but it was undoubtedly him, even without the name under the photograph in bold font. Greg lunged for the page, tearing it away from Nick just a little too late. He ended up on all fours, staring at him with wide eyes and Nick staring back from his squatted position.

"You were raped?" Nick choked out. Greg turned away, slamming his fist in to the floor. He didn't answer as he gathered the rest of his own rape folder and stood, leaning against the desk for support. Nick stood too, and watched the Californian man until the shakes wracking him subsided. He still didn't lift his head.

"It's why I came to Vegas," came the quiet beginning of an explanation. "My case file was here, 'cause I was on vacation when it happened. So when they asked where I wanted to be posted I jumped at the chance to move here. None of the CSIs that worked my case were even still active in the force, so no one knew I was a file number in the books." Nick stepped a little closer and placed a hand on the back of his friend's shoulder, hoping he'd go on. He did, with the strength he derived from Nick's gesture.

"She had intimacy issues, and a slight case of nymphomania. I was the last in a line of victims. She drugged me at a bar, took advantage of me, and left me alone in a motel room with the bill. Eight months later I get a call from a woman I couldn't remember saying I would have to take a paternity test. So a month later I found out I was a father. She tried to give the baby up for adoption but I fought it. How could I let her give him away? He was…beautiful." Greg's voice wound down and Nick found himself staring at the blonde, speechless. Without giving a thought to what it would reveal, he made Greg turn around and drew him in to a hug.

"You're a stronger person that I've ever known G," he whispered against the startled man's hair. He felt Greg tentatively hug him back and held him closer on some sort of protective instinct. When his brain finally caught up with him and told him that he was _hugging Greg Sanders_, he dropped his arms and took a step back. Greg's eyes had something unidentifiable in them, but Nick coughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck with one hand, shoving the other deep within his jean pocket. He stood there awkwardly until Greg punched him gently on the shoulder.

"Thanks," he said, trying to keep his voice light and carefree. Nick wasn't fooled, but he kept his peace, instead watching Greg flip off his computers and electronic equipment. When the lab was packed up, Nick spoke up.

"Does Jason know?" he asked quietly. Greg looked up and shook his head. Jason knew that his mother didn't want him, and he knew that Greg had fought to keep him, but he didn't know that his mother had raped his father. Nick nodded, but settled a hand on to the blonde's shoulder.

"I think you need to tell him," he advised the father, who took a deep trembling breath but nodded right away like he had been thinking the same thing for a while now. It was time. He'd shown the truth to Nick, so now he had to fess up to his son. He glanced at his Texan friend with his anxiety clear in his features.

"Will you come? He blurted out. Nick was taken aback but agreed enthusiastically, honored that Greg would ask that of him. After a short pep talk they headed for their respective cars, promising to meet up at Greg's residence. As he followed the silver car his friend drove, Nick wasn't sure if he should cry over what he had discovered, smile because they had hugged, worry about what they were about to do, or dance with joy that Greg trusted him enough to be his support. He could see the other man's silhouette in the car ahead of him and saw how every red light made him shift in his anxious way. It was obvious that if they hit much more traffic, he would lose his nerve before he got home. When they finally pulled in to the large driveway, side by side, and they were walking up the path to the front door, he did start to panic a little.

"I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't-" Nick cut in to his panic attack by wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in to his side while keeping them both moving forward.

"You can do this Greggo," he whispered. "If you can survive a lab explosion you can tell your son the harmless truth." And then they were at the door and Greg was fumbling for his key, dropping it twice. Inside was deathly quiet, due to the walls all being soundproofed. But the lights were on so the boy was still up. Greg raised a shaky hand to a black box on the wall, pressing a seemingly random button.

"Jason, can you come in the living room for a second?" he asked the box. Jason's mumbled reply answered a curious affirmative, so Greg lifted off the intercom, ignoring Nick's jealous look, and headed for the living room, pacing about the carpet. He was beginning to repeat his panic mantra when his young look-alike strolled in, whom instantly went on high alert as he took in his father's panicked state and the presence of a concerned looking Nick.

"Dad? What's wrong?" he asked. Greg couldn't stop his hands from shaking.

"Have a seat, sport," he offered. Jason's eyes narrowed. Something was definitely wrong if Greg was calling him 'sport'. It had been his nickname as a little boy being doted on by daddy, and Greg only brought it up now when he was scared. It seemed he was reminding himself that he was a parent, and it gave him strength. So Jason sat and when he looked up he found his father holding one of those manila case files that he sometimes brought home, but Jason wasn't allowed to read. He was holding it out for the younger boy, looking terrified. Once it had passed hands, the blonde resumed pacing about while Nick watched him with furrowed brows.

Jason ran his hands across the outside of the folder in his lap. It was smooth with being handled many times, but the inked numbers on the identity tab told him nothing about what would be inside. So he flipped open the cover. The first page, right there on top, had a picture that looked exactly like him, but had 'Sanders, Gregory Hojam' printed underneath instead of Jason Alexander. It listed a bunch of details about his younger father that were obviously old. When his eyes flitted up to the top of the page he saw that it identified his father as a _victim_. He glanced up sharply, but Nick urged him to read on. Greg was off in his own universe of nerves and worry. The older CSI got up to calm him down as Jason returned to the folder, flipping the page over and found a series of evidence photos. They showed the beaten face of his father, the ugly torso bruises, a rumpled motel room, a bloodstain on a random piece of carpet, and a few other things that made no sense to him. At the end of the pictures he found a crime report, taken by a police officer. He read it and when he set it back down he looked up again in shock. He saw Nick holding Greg's face, forcing them to have eye contact, and murmuring under his breath. Greg wasn't saying anything, just nodding along. Jason went back to the report of his father's rape and turned through a few more pages of evidence, court files, and finally he came to another photograph. It was a woman this time. She was angry looking, with heavy black hair and brown eyes, thick eyebrows and a long neck.

"That's your mother," said an uncertain voice above him. Jason looked up to see Greg standing there, staring at the picture in the file. He too looked back down at his lap. His mother. After all this time of wondering, here she was. A woman he wouldn't look twice at in a crowd. A woman who had raped his father. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the photo. The truth of his birth was so wrong and unexpected that there were no words for what he felt. When he could move again he stood up and faced his father. The man had been _raped_ at fifteen, and then at sixteen he had fought for the baby that came from the rape, and raised him alone, struggling to handle child work and school at once. And here he was, trembling like a newborn babe for fear of his son's reaction.

"Dad I…wow," was all he managed. So, in lieu of words, he threw his arms about his father and crushed them together. Greg let his breath out explosively and held his son tight, closing his eyes against tears of relief. He missed Nick carefully packing the file up off the couch and tucking it away out of sight. Jason and Greg patted each other on the back in a manly way before Jason slipped away to his room to be alone for a while. Greg stood still, dazed. Then he stepped over to cupboard on the wall and brought out a bottle of scotch, poured himself a shot, and threw it back without a flinch. Nick watched two more fly back rapidly before he simply carried the fourth with him as he settled on the couch where his son had sat. His shoulders shook a tiny bit, but in a different way. The shaking grew until he had to open his mouth, throw back his head and laugh out his relief, letting all the emotions that had built inside him slip out all at once in a giant rush. Then he smiled at Nick and offered him some scotch.

A couple hours later, Nick wandered about an empty hallway with a glazed grin dominating his features. He'd lost track of Greg half an hour ago, losing himself in the big house. He'd only had a couple drinks, so he wasn't off wandering drunkenly, but he just had to stop every time he passed something interesting to examine it. And there were a lot of interesting things in Greg's house! He'd taken a wrong turn coming out of the bathroom and had somehow ended up in a game room, complete with pool table, foosball table, dartboard, and a bar. He tried to find his way back, only to get distracted by the multitudes of interesting paintings and sculptures sitting here and there. He found a music room, with a piano, two guitars, and a wooden flute in a velvet lined glass case. When he finally found a part of the house that looked familiar, it was because he'd come full loop and was back at the bathroom. Now which way to go from here? Nick laughed at himself and tried the door to his right. He stopped in the doorway and smiled. He'd stumbled upon Greg's bedroom, and there was Greg, curled up on his side fast asleep. He was still dressed, lying on top of the tucked in covers, and he cradled his cell phone in one hand.

Remembering what Jason had told him, Nick tip toed over to the bed and carefully pried the cell phone out of the slumbering hand. The screen saver had gone black, but pressing a random button brought it back to life to reveal a picture of Nick sitting hunched over something in the evidence room. He flipped through the photos and found that, interspersed with a couple of Jason, there were over twenty photos on the cell of him. All of them were taken when he was unaware. They were good shots too, catching him in all moods. Some were whole body shots, or motion shots, but most were zoom-ins focused on his face. Nick smiled as he realized that Jason had been right, Greg did fall asleep looking at his picture. But only when he was drinking. Then he clapped a hand over his mouth and fought not to laugh as it hit him that he was in an offhanded way forced to stay here for the night. After all, he couldn't drive after drinking. Greg was in for a surprise when he woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun, Greg decided, was much too bright for it's own good. He gave some serious thought to installing a permanent shade before burrowing his poor aching head further in to – was that a lap? Yes it was. Greg slowly looked up to find a sleeping Nick Stokes in his bed. He was sitting on the pillows, leaning against the headboard. His hand was tangled in Greg's hair as if he fell asleep playing with it. And Greg was on his side with his head snuggled in to the older man's lap, one arm thrown across his waist and holding tight. How in the world had this come about? The blonde slowly extricated himself and stood for a while, staring down at this odd sight. It was a lovely sight, Nick in his bed, but it confused him because there was no _reason_ for it. His mind immediately began coming up with all sorts of asinine comments, so he shook his head to get rid of them and headed for the bathroom next door. After he relieved himself he headed to the kitchen and glanced at the clock. Seven o'clock, he was only up a few hours early, enough that the sun was still up, but about to go down. So he made himself some coffee and started preparing breakfast for a hungry teenager and a hungry Texan. As he mixed pancake batter he idly wondered, if Nick were to move in, would they run out of food?

Greg suddenly laughed out loud at this extremely random – and perhaps slightly forbidden – thought, making the mixing bowl slip out of his hands. When it hit the floor the batter exploded everywhere, and he caught a good percentage of it on his face and day-old clothes. For a moment he was stunned, he just stood there with liquid pancake dripping off of him, then he was surprised by raucous laughter from the doorway. He turned slowly to see his son there, looking rumpled from sleep, and very much enjoying the spectacle his father made all covered in breakfast. Greg recovered quickly and grinned evilly.

"Oh you think it's funny do you?" he muttered. "I'll show you funny." Then he bent, scooped some batter off the ground, and threw it with excellent precision. It hit Jason right on the nose, making him cry out with indignation. The young fellow was also temporarily stunned, and his grin was just as evil when he recovered.

"It's on!" he cried joyously.

Nick was brought to wakefulness by sounds of shouting and loud laughter. He dug the heels of his hands in to his eyes and drove sleep away, glancing at his watch. What were they doing awake this early? He swung his legs off the bed and groaned as he stood up, stretching his aching back and making a mental note to never sleep like that again. He slipped out of the bedroom and followed the joyful noises as best he could in the big house. Down this hallway, through this door, and down that hallway. What he found, he did _not_ expect. Although he knew he should have. It was Greg after all. And that was Greg and Jason having a food fight with what looked like pancake batter. The almost-liquid stuff was everywhere; it was on the floor, on the counter, stuck to the fridge, on the walls, and it absolutely coated the two look a likes, squaring off with pot lid shields in the middle of the room. Nick crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, content to watch. Greg was laughing like an absolute idiot as he dodged a missile thrown by his son and retaliated with a glob of his own. It went back and forth until Jason stepped on some on the floor and slid right across the room in to his father, crashing them both in to the wall and causing both to fall to the floor. This finally broke Nick's control and he found himself laughing helplessly, made even worse by the sheepish looks the two gave him when they realized they were caught.

"Need some help cleaning up?" he gasped in between peals of laughter. Greg grinned and nodded, getting up to get some rags. It took an entire hour to scrub the sticky substance off the myriad kitchen surfaces, and Greg and Jason took turns showering and helping Nick, who continued to have random fits of giggles. After it was done and the Sanders men had cleaned themselves off, Greg tried again to make breakfast. Nick chatted with Jason as the blonde was puttering around, and discovered that they were almost the exact same person, they were just that much a like to talk to. They had the same speech patterns and habits, and they slurred the same words. The only difference was that Jason was still in his teenage drama stage, and he talked about people from school like they were the ends of the world. Nick had never heard Greg speak of anyone in his personal life outside the lab. Almost like he didn't have anyone. Then breakfast was served and Nick's eyes almost came out of his head. Pancakes, bacon, hash browns, eggs scrambled and sunny side up, sliced fruit, and two kinds of fruit juice. Just when Nick thought it had ended, toast, butter, syrup, cheese, and ketchup were plunked down. He stared over at his friend and found a grin. Without invitation, Nick went at the food like a hungry wolf, matched bite for bite by Jason. Greg only snickered and delicately ate a single plate of food. He did have an amused twinkle in his eye the whole time, though.

"So, what sparked that World War III that I walked in on?" Nick asked after swallowing what may have been the best egg he had ever eaten in his life and reaching for a couple more slices of bacon. Jason burst out laughing again and pointed an accusatory finger at Greg, who hid behind a piece of toast.

"He did it! He dropped the bowl and I laughed at him, so he threw some at me," Jason explained. Nick raised a playful eyebrow at Greg.

"How do you drop an entire bowl of batter?" he asked. "You've never dropped so much as a single hair sample in all the time I've known you." Nick watched Greg's face heat up in a matter of seconds and guessed it was embarrassing. Which only meant more entertaining, so he and the youngster both poked and prodded and teased until Greg stood up and waved his hands at them in surrender.

"Fine, fine, I was just…thinking of something funny," he said vaguely. Nick and Jason looked at each other, each with one eyebrow raised. That wasn't good enough! So they began teasing relentlessly once again, and Greg caved. He looked down at the floor. "Well I was stirring the batter and it kind of hit me that…well…hypothetically…if Nick lived here…we'd run out of food…" Greg scuffed his toe on the linoleum floor and peeked out from under his bangs to find two identical looks of horror. He was about to regret sharing his thought when the two brunettes spoke at the same time.

"Don't even _say_ run out of food!" they both cried. Greg gave them a funny look, and they looked at each as well, but Nick threw a proud arm over Jason's shoulder.

"I'll make a Texan of you yet, boy," he declared. Greg rolled his eyes and sent his son off to get ready for school. Nick went home to get himself some fresh clothes. When he was alone, Greg sank on to his couch and settled his head against the back with his eyes closed. A few deep breaths calmed his heart, which had raced for the last five minutes, and he let out a huff of breath. Nick was leading him on and the man didn't even know he was doing it. But Greg couldn't help it; every moment with Nick was like a promise that wasn't intentionally made. Every laugh was a secret shared and every smile made his heart leap in to his throat. What made it worse was that Greg knew that Nick wasn't actually interested; he didn't know what he was doing to the younger man. Greg knew it was all false but he was defenseless. This was getting way out of hand for him, but when Jason walked back in to the room, backpack on shoulder, Greg shoved his inner turmoil aside and smiled for his son's sake, standing up to drive him to school.

Work was boring. None of the current cases had a need for DNA work, so he didn't have much to do. He ended up spinning around in his chair and watching the world fly by with abstracted disinterest. It took a few turns for him to notice that there was an extra smudge of color standing next to him. He grabbed the desk to stop, but his head continued to spin, so he covered it with his hands and groaned, making that extra smudge laugh a familiar warm laugh.

"Getting dizzy Greggo?" Nick asked in amusement. Greg kept one hand on his head and used the other for support and he turned and looked up at his crush.

"Hush Nick. What do you need?" he attempted to distract his friend. It worked; Nick handed over three evidence bags.

"I need you to tell me if any of these blood samples are from the same person, and if that person is in CODIS," Nick told him. The blonde nodded and immediately opened them, taking out the blood swabs and settling in to work. But the older man didn't leave. He leaned against the desk and watched for a few minutes in a comfortable silence before he spoke again.

"I was wondering," he said, "if Jason would like to go bowling tonight?" Greg fumbled in his work and looked up in surprise. Huh? Nick laughed at him and he flushed, turning back to his chemicals and blood swabs. "He's a cool kid and it doesn't seem like you two get out of the house much. Come, on, just us three," Nick poked him in the back of the neck and Greg grinned in secret pleasure, hoping the Texan didn't see it. If he did, there would be questions. So when he turned around, he made sure his grin was turned in to a gentle smile, one a father might wear.

"Sure Nicky, I'm sure he'd love the homework break," he consented. Nick laughed.

"Excellent, I'll pick you guys up a couple hours after shift!" and with that he walked away, waving over his shoulder. Greg watched him go, unaware that his stare lasted for many minutes after there was no one in the doorway anymore, or that he drew a curious stare from who ever passed by his line of vision, unseen by him. He was in his own little world, and he had a very goofy smile on his face that he didn't notice. Did life just get more interesting? Yes, yes it did. Greg worked as hard as he ever had throughout the rest of the night, not wanting to have to work late. Which wasn't very difficult being a slow night for the DNA tech. When morning came rolling in he was jittery as he clocked out and drove home. Jason was already there, munching an apple as he did homework in his room. He looked up curiously when Greg strolled in to his room and fiddled with the CD player next to the bed.

"Want to go bowling tonight?" Greg asked him. Jason blinked.

"I thought I was still grounded?" he asked. Greg winced. Oh well, he could be a bad parent every once in a while. Although, he preferred to call it being a 'cool parent'.

"Yeah, but Nick offered to take us bowling…" he muttered. Jason got the point immediately, and even managed to contain himself down to a dirty snicker. He said something along the lines of "sounds good" that Greg didn't listen to. Greg hovered in the doorway for a bit longer before going off to twitter around his own room nervously. He changed clothes three times, redid his hair twice, and gave the wall a great long rundown on every reason why he should _not_ flirt with Nick tonight. Number one on the list being that he was sure Nick was not interested. Although that was countered by his bisexuality. It was right in the middle of his conversation with that piece of his house that he realized he was acting very much like a woman. He supposed it came from so many years playing the mother role as well as the father role. Maybe his crush was right, maybe he really did need to get out of the house more often. He was here so much he'd started talking to it for goodness sake! But still when the doorbell rang he couldn't help frantically checking himself in the mirror one more time before running for the front hall, hoping that he succeeded in looking nice, but casual at the same time. His hair was spiked a little less than normal, just enough that the blonde tips stood up and contrasted the dark roots without looking wild. He wore dark jeans and a black t-shirt, significantly calmer clothes than Nick had ever seen him in. Nick himself, when Greg opened the door, was wearing a blue button down thrown over top of a white t-shirt, and Greg had to fight his automatic drool-reaction. He called for Jason as he rooted through the front closet for his jacket. Jason and Nick greeted each other with a high-five.

"Jason, did you borrow my jacket again?" he asked, his voice muffled by many coats. The young brunette smirked like he knew something the others didn't.

"Uh yeah. I left it at Mark's though," he confessed, a hint of falsity in his voice. "Just wear your leather one and let's go!" And with that he was out the door, whooping and leaping in to the back seat of Nick's car. Nick raised an eyebrow and Greg blushed when he pulled out a very fine black jacket.

"Leather huh?" the older man teased.

"Shut up," Greg murmured as he pulled it on and strode past him, unaware of the hungry stare the garment earned him. It was fitted and showed off his muscled shoulders, not to mention that immediately when he put in on he unconsciously developed his biker's strut from his kid days. They were on the road and halfway to the bowling alley, Greg had just got his flaming cheeks under control, when Jason leaned up from the back seat.

"You know, he has leather pants too," he muttered loudly in Nick's ear. Nick burst out laughing as Greg emitted a very loud "Jason!" and his face looked scandalized. The adolescent fell back to his place and popped his seatbelt back in to its slot, grinning from ear to ear. Greg floundered around and looked a trifle appalled for the rest of the ride, jumping out as soon as the car was stopped at the alley. He reprimanded his son under his breath, but Nick could only hear about every third word. He did hear his name fly back and forth a few times, but figured that Greg was warning him in to good behavior in front of a coworker. They all went in and got bowling shoes and bowling balls, letting Jason pick a lane close to a group of young girls in low cut tops. Both adults shook their heads at him, but used his distraction to their advantage. Greg also used his distraction to change his name on the scoreboard from 'Jay' to 'Tard'. The girls noticed, but Jason didn't, and Nick gave him a high-five for a prank well played.

Jason, despite his preoccupation with charming the ladies, won the first game. He made sure to gloat and shove it in their faces so that his admirers would know he had won. Nick and Greg exchanged looks and nods, and from then on it was their game, tied neck to neck, with Jason left way behind. Greg was watching Nick take his turn, or watching Nick's butt as he took his turn, when his son's voice floated in to his ears and his eyes widened.

"That's exactly what I said, but noooooooo he just won't give in and admit it!" Jason was saying. A girl's voice followed.

"They obviously like each other. They both watch each other so closely."

"I know; they're both complete idiots in love." Greg made a strangling sound and all but leapt over the back of his chair to go throttle his son. Before he made it halfway Nick appeared out of nowhere and declared that it was his turn. Greg frantically eyed Jason, who looked back and smirked. He was obviously planning to continue this conversation just as loud. Probably on purpose so that Nick could hear him. He stood there, torn between screaming at the boy to stop so he wouldn't get embarrassed anymore than he'd already been, and just walking away so Nick wouldn't suspect anything. He inched towards the lane, holding his orange ball, and sent his son a very pointed look. A whole conversation went on between their gazes, ending with the younger sighing and giving a sign of surrender. Greg breathed in relief and absently sent his ball sailing along the slick wooden floor. He didn't even pay attention to where it went until his two companions jumped up and pounded him on the back simultaneously. He'd gotten the first strike any of them had had all night! Eyebrows raised in surprise, he turned to see that indeed none of the pins were standing. The score screen was flashing the word 'strike' with gaudy balloons around it. Nick, against his half-hearted protests, bought him a couple of celebratory drinks, which he drank unusually fast. Jason got sodas. After the fourth drink, which Greg insisted on buying for himself, he felt his concentration on _not_ flirting start to slip. His common sense was slipping too. He knew it when he caught himself arguing with one of the pretty girls about which brand of condoms was better and why. He didn't realize how inappropriate it was until he looked to his left and saw Jason paying rapt attention.

"This is enlightening," was all he said. Greg stopped talking in the middle of his sentence and walked back to his seat in his own lane, watching Nick take his shot. He couldn't help watching the way the jeans tightened around his friend's butt when he leaned forward, or the way his shirt rode up to expose a bit of lower back, or even the delicate yet firm way his fingers maneuvered the ball. That particular thought caused shivers as thoughts of other balls being…maneuvered…filled his head. This was not good. When Nick came walking back, he found Greg's eyes riveted somewhere around his waistline and stopped. The stare stayed there, following him when he took a side step. Interesting, he thought to himself. He turned sideways and saw those brown eyes slip around to his posterior. He waved to get Jason's attention, then indicated the blonde. Jason took in his father's bemused smile and the direction of his stare and covered his mouth. The girls he was talking to also looked and laughed. Nick grinned, glad that they were at the end of the second game, and very glad that they hadn't paid for a third. He went over to his friend and pulled him up.

"Home time Greggo," he announced. Greg blinked, coming out of his daydream.

"Who won?" he asked. Nick checked the scoreboard over his shoulder. They still had a turn left each, but Greg was winning by one point. Typical. Better when drinking and not even paying attention than anyone else when they're sober and trying.

"You did, now off we go." He waved Jason over and they all left to pile in to his Denali. The two sober ones were silently laughing the whole time. Greg hadn't started weaving or walking funny, he was still very steady, but he seemed to be in a complete out of body experience. He paid no attention what so ever to his surroundings, and stood at his car door for a full thirty seconds before being reminded that he was supposed to get in. Young Jason decided he would be the one taking advantage now.

"So dad, why don't you tell us about those leather pants?" he said out of nowhere, breaking the silence that reigned inside the vehicle. Greg turned as far as his seatbelt would let him to look backwards.

"How did you know I had leather pants?" he asked curiously, without a hint of embarrassment. Jason shrugged.

"I found 'em," he said. His father nodded along as if that were perfectly normal, for his son to find things that were hidden at the bottom of the back of his closet. His big closet. With a lot of things piled in front.

"They're from before you were born. Should still fit though, since they were a bit big back then." Greg turned forward again and smiled out his window, not registering whom he was talking to, or even about what. The other two exchanged glances that spoke of blackmail. This would be used later, that was for sure. Then Jason's eyes lit up as an idea came in to his head. He cleared his throat to make sure his next, carefully worded question would come out perfectly.

"Did you pick up many ladies in them?" he asked. Just as he thought, the blonde turned around and smiled bemusedly.

"Well no but I picked up my fair share of men. Jason, why would you ask that, you know that I'm gay?" Nick almost drove off the road. He glared at the young man in the backseat using his rearview mirror, but received only a knowing wink in reply. Greg was completely oblivious. Everyone held their silence for the rest of the ride and Greg went straight to bed when they reached his home, leaving the other two standing in the living room. Nick looked at Jason and was surprised to find that all the amusement was gone from his young body, replaced by worry and seriousness as he looked up at his father's friend.

"He drinks more than you would know," the adolescent started. "I worry about him, but he says it's ok. It's not. He has no friends outside of work, and none of his family speaks to him because of me. The two accidents he had at work only made it worse. He's lonely, Mr. Stokes, and he needs someone other than me to help him. I…I see the way you look at him." Nick blinked and stared down at this youngster who was too observant for his own good. Jason's look intensified, staring him down confidently. "Please, Nick you've got to help him. He needs you, more than he needs anyone else. Surely you can see that?" Nick just stared back at him.

"I'm trained to observe dead bodies…I guess I should have been paying attention to the people around me too," he agreed. Jason sighed and looked down the hall Greg had gone down to go to sleep. Nick could see all the turmoil inside him and wondered how long Greg had been on this downward spiral. He asked.

"He's been like this for about five years now. It started as weekend drinks, but never drunk. Then he started having a drink every night. Now…he gets buzzed almost every night. The next step is drunk. He's just trying to chase himself away." Once again Nick was startled by the young man's intensity, but Jason walked away then, leaving the older man to his thoughts. Nick went to check on his friend and found him sitting up in his bed with pajama pants and no shirt on. He looked up when Nick walked in and smiled, but Nick noticed him quickly flipping his cell phone shut and tucking it away in the nightstand. There was silence until Greg asked if he was ok.

"I'm fine Greg. Listen, can I come back tomorrow? I need to go home for now but…" he trailed off. Greg nodded and beamed at him, and Nick wondered what was different about it. It was the same smile he'd been getting for years, but it was like suddenly he could see right through it. Maybe it had taken Jason pointing it out, but he could see all the affection Greg held for him, silently of course. And then he went home, driving slowly and falling in to bed fully clothed, thinking of Greg the whole time.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day was Saturday, and amazingly it was both Greg and Nick's scheduled day off for the week. Nick lay in bed for a long time after he woke up, arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling. His young friend bounced around his head like a little rubber ball. He just couldn't get it off his mind. His past problems weren't enough, to be raped and then have a kid come of it, but then his family disowns him because of it and it leads him to alcohol and having no social life. Add to that the fact that he was gay in Las Vegas and it was a wonder he didn't have his own reality show. Nick thought of Jason's plea for his help. As he was getting out of bed and heading for the shower, he firmly made a silent promise that he would help Greg in every way he could. Suddenly knowing Greg was gay brought back all sorts of feelings that Nick thought he had buried long ago. When they first met, Nick had been captivated by the beautiful, laughing youth, but thought 'no way, he's definitely straight the way he talks about women', and had been quick to quell his own hopes. This new development brought it all back with a vengeance.

It helped that Nick had never given up masturbating to images of Greg. He was, after all, beautiful to look at.

So as soon as he was clean, fed, and dressed, he hopped in to his car and headed over to the Sanders residence. He pulled in to the driveway, all unsuspecting, but as soon as he got out, he was witness to World War IV. This time, the weapons were super soakers. He had just locked his car and shut the door when the twins (as he had already dubbed them in his head) came racing around from the side of the house, both wearing bathing suits, armed and aimed. Jason shouted as Greg's ammo hit him dead center of the back and dive rolled out of the way. The blonde dodged when the youth turned and aimed for him. The bushes along the sidewalk became Jason's fort, leaving Greg in no man's land. When they noticed Nick he thought they would stop and be sheepish about it like last night. But no, they turned as one and he received the most spectacular soaking of his life. He face was priceless as he stood their, dripping from head to toe, and trying to glare and laugh at the same time.

"I just got dry!" he protested. "And I just got up!" Jason jogged away around the house and came back with a pile of towels, handing a couple to everyone. Greg smiled and tossed his 'weapon' down in to the grass at his feet.

"We've been up for hours," he announced. Nick rolled his eyes at the energetic pair and tried his best to dry off. It didn't work so well, his jeans were retaining water like a bitch and his cotton shirt still stuck to his chest. Finally Greg took mercy on him and waved him inside.

"Come on, I'll lend you some clothes," he offered. Nick nodded. Ten minutes later they were all dressed, though their hair was still wet, and Jason had left them alone in the living room, being still grounded and all. That was his excuse at least. The two older men played video games, competing to see who could kill each other more often on Halo 3 or who was faster at Offroad Fury. They both enjoyed the camaraderie that grew between them, and Nick felt his hidden feelings quickly taking hold on him again. It was funny, Greg had made him fall hard and fast in the beginning, and he was doing the exact same thing again now. Around midnight Greg stretched his legs out and threw his controller down.

"Ah I can't sit any longer," he declared. "Want to shoot some pool?" Nick agreed and they wandered over to the game room he had discovered when he'd gotten lost in here. The table was in perfect condition, not even a single scratch in the green felt. They played the first game in silence, and then the second game became a laughing matter while they both showed off, trying to top each other by coming up with ridiculous ways to shoot the balls. Sometimes it ended in falling over and having to catch each other. Greg was trying to shoot backwards with his eyes closed when he _felt_ Nick. Felt that he was close enough to lean forward and touch their chests together. His eyes flew open and his laugh died in his throat. Nick was indeed right there, his expression serious. He wasn't close enough for it to be considered romantic or sexual, but it was much closer than he should have been with in a room this big, and this empty of other people.

"Greg, Jason…he…he and I were talking…last night…" Nick tried to find the right words to string together a coherent sentence saying what he wanted to say without offending his friend. The blonde tilted his head, a premonition coming over him.

"What did he tell you?" he asked, straight to the point. He saw Nick wince.

"He told me about your drinking," the brunette replied slowly, almost implying that that wasn't all that was said. Greg lowered his head for a moment before looking back up with a determined expression.

"Look, I'm fine Nicky. It's under control." He turned back to make his shot in the regular manner, having lost his taste for goofing around. He heard Nick sigh and knew that this was not the end of the conversation. He couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at his son though; he was just looking out for family after all. If anything, it made him feel cared about, which he didn't feel very often. Greg had had that epiphany a couple years ago, that his drinking was to see who cared enough to try and help, but by that time the habit had ingrained itself so deeply he didn't even try to stop.

"Greg, every budding alcoholic says that. He's worried, and he's got me worried," Nick admitted. Greg looked back at him and saw the worry in his eyes. That hurt. It was as if Nick knew exactly what to say to hit his soft spot. Nick and Jason were the two people in the world he would do anything to avoid hurting, and it was almost as if Nick knew that, and was using it against him. He sighed again and turned to face his friend fully.

"I have nothing else to turn to," he said quietly, not wanting to admit it out loud. Nick's eyes widened, then softened. They stared at each other while each tried to figure out how to react. Finally Nick half-smiled.

"Turn to me," he offered. Greg smiled back at him and let his eyes communicate his acceptance of their deal. He would try. And he would let him Nick help him. Then he turned back to the table and lined up his shot again. He sunk a stripe and wiggled his eyebrows at his friends. The brunette pretended to be offended, then sunk two of his own balls and wiggled his own eyebrows. Greg stuck his tongue out at him. They placed back and forth for a few minutes without words until Greg spoke up again, looking down his stick and using the excuse of aiming to avoid eye contact.

"So what else did Jason tell you?" he asked. Nick was so tempted to blurt 'that you're as gay as I am' but he controlled himself at the last second by realizing that Greg was actually gayer that him. At least _he_ was bi. Ish. He could be gay for Greg. He shook his head and looked at Greg aiming.

"He told me you own leather pants," he said. Greg wildly missed his shot and Nick winked when he looked over. "I'd like to see those." Greg's blush was endearing, and more than a little cute. But he recovered.

"Oh yeah?" he asked playfully in a tone that was so close to flirting it almost fell off the fence. Inside his head, Nick did a small happy dance. One step closer in the master plan of life! Outside he was calm and cool and suave. He leaned in across the table and grabbed the chalk from beside Greg.

"Yeah, go put 'em on," he suggested. Greg dropped his stick and whipped his head up from its coyly bowed position.

"What, _now_?" he choked out. Nick laughed and nodded, loving the way the blush grew, tinting the tips of his ears pink. Nick idly wondered what he looked like when he was blushing, or if he even blushed at all. Some people didn't. Greg definitely felt his own heat, but he was so flustered he couldn't do anything about it. He seemed to be trying to decide whether or not Nick was kidding. But Nick was completely serious about it.

"Go on, I want to see what Greg Sanders looked like as a bad boy in his littlie days!" he laughed as Greg hesitantly took a step towards the door, reluctance all but oozing out of him. But Nick convinced him to go, immediately running for Jason's room. He followed the sound of rock and roll and knocked on the door. When his information was shared and a suggestive wink was received, he darted back to the games room and played himself at pool, waiting for his old crush to come back. It took quite a while, and Nick assumed that was because Greg was probably fighting himself the whole time about whether or not he should, and what this meant. Nick let him wonder. It was all part of the plan, the master plan, the master plan of life!

When Greg finally did appear back in the room, Nick could hear him muttering to himself self-consciously outside the room for at least a couple minutes first. He tried to hide himself by standing on the opposite side of the table from his older coworker, but Nick would have none of that. He chased him around until he caught him and made him stand still for inspection. The blonde fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze, waiting impatiently and nervously for the verdict. Nick had realized a little while ago that his opinion mattered dearly to this guy.

"Whew Greggo. You should wear these more often," he declared and laughed as yet another blush appeared. Then he continued on with their game like nothing had happened and he hadn't returned Greg's flirting. He felt Greg eyeing him for the next hour and made sure not to catch him at it. Let him look, he thought, maybe he'll see that I'm interested too. Greg, however, was in the middle of his own personal battle. He'd spent years telling himself that there was no way that Nick returned his feelings, and these new signals were throwing him through a very complicated loop. About three times a minute he would run through a cycle of thinking it was a possibility, to fervently telling himself to get real, to thinking about his almost-flirtatious behavior these last few days, to kicking himself mentally, and then starting over again. Neither man realized how fast the time was going until Jason came in complaining of being hungry, and then they realized it was the equivalent of dinnertime. They could have had breakfast again, but Nick voiced his opinion that he was in the mood for something…dinner-ish. The youngster was quick to agree and Greg rooted around to see what he could whip up, as he called it. His version of whipping something up on short notice turned out to be pork chops, mashed potatoes, corn, and a bottle of wine. When Nick eyed the wine, Greg frowned and replaced it with sodas, which was approved by all. Nick mentioned that he was quite the chef, but Greg only rolled his eyes and pointed out that he had been cooking for Jason for seventeen years. He was bound to pick up a few tricks along the way.

After dinner Jason retreated in to his room again and Nick asked for a tour of the house. Greg made himself calm down since there was nothing flirtatious about being interested in a beautiful home, and he couldn't deny even with the greatest modesty that he had a great place. He showed Nick the guest floor upstairs, complete with three bedrooms, an extra game room, a bathroom, an extra living room, and a sun parlor. He showed him Jason's door and mentioned that the next door was Jason's bathroom. He showed Nick the indoor pool they had – almost making him faint – and then the music room. When they passed by his own door he deprecatingly mentioned it was his room and went to move on but Nick got this mischievous look in his eye and stopped short.

"I want to see what the great Greg Sanders' room looks like!" he announced and then he opened the door and let himself in. Greg sighed and followed. The walls were a shade of medium blue, which Nick found oddly calm, with white trim all around. The windows had green-blue curtains, and the floor was hardwood with a huge white rug beside the bed. The bed, in the center of the room, had rumpled green covers and white sheets. Against one wall there was a dresser and a huge stereo system, which figured. Another wall had a glass desk that was cluttered with papers and pens and picture frames.

"You've been in my room before," Greg pointed out as Nick carefully inspected a photograph of himself and Greg, arms thrown over each other's shoulders, and finding it funny that he had the same picture framed somewhere in his own apartment. The other pictures had Jason and Greg, and one of the whole team at work. One that was buried in papers had a picture of an older couple; he assumed they were Greg's estranged parents.

"I never got a chance to look around though," he clarified over his shoulder. One wall had a poster of Manson and another with the anarchy symbol. Photographs of Jason and the team were taped up on another wall, and clothes were piled in a corner on the floor. On an impulse, Nick looked up, and right above the bed he found a gigantic 'Ban Proposition 8' banner, made out of black paint and a huge strip of canvas. He heard Greg sink down on the bed and saw him look up at it too.

"Jason has a poster for that too, but we made that one together," he muttered. Nick looked down at him and they caught each other's eyes.

"It's huge, G," he said, well aware of how dirty that sounded. Greg grinned at the innuendo and indicated the banner on the ceiling.

"Jason marched with me…in a protest…" he looked down at him hands and Nick frowned, tilting his head. Then it came to him and he hissed in his breath.

"It _was_ you!" he cried out. "I knew that guy looked familiar! You're the one who attacked an officer and got taken in to custody. I couldn't see your face properly but I knew he looked like you!" Greg nodded. Jason had come down to the station and vouched for him, sweet-talking the officers in to letting him go before they even got his name. That would have been disastrous for his career in law enforcement. Nick snickered a bit and sat down next to the blonde, letting himself flop backwards and closing his eyes.

"You, my friend, are never a boring moment," he whispered. Greg's chuckle ghosted over to him and it made him smile. That is, until he realized how extremely comfortable he was. He hadn't realized how soft this mattress was the other night because he'd been distracted by the discomfort in his back, as it was against a hard wooden headboard. He let out a long moan and squirmed deeper in to it. He felt Greg go rigid and still.

"I'm never leaving this bed G. Holy shit, it's comfortable. How do you get out of bed to go to work?" Greg turned and raised his eyebrows but Nick squirmed around until he was lying in it properly and that was ever better.

"Well you'll have to get out eventually, 'cause I fully intent to sleep in my own bed tonight, whether you're in it or not," Greg announced, trying to hide the shake in his voice that those thoughts created. He wasn't as confident as his words sounded. But Nick smirked to himself and kicked his shoes off over the side of the bed, toeing his socks off as well. Greg stayed sitting on the edge and watched him, wondering what exactly was going on and want any of this meant. He was so confused he had to fight not to just come right out and ask if Nick had any interest in him at all. It was always the possibility of a disastrous 'no' that kept him silent. On the other side of the bed, Nick had already figured all that out as well. He peeked at the blonde from one half-open eye and smiled.

"No worries," he assured him, "I won't bite unless you ask me to." He quickly closed his eyes and didn't hide his playful smirk, feeling the mattress jolt as Greg whipped fully about to stare at him incredulously. After a minute he emitted a sigh.

"Nick quit playing, I want to go to bed," he whined. "You're welcome to one of the guest beds." Nick laughed out loud and reached out, easily hooking Greg's waist and forcefully pulling him in closer. Greg stiffened like a board and Nick held in his manic laughter; this was too much fun.

"No way. You got to use me for a pillow, I think I'll return the favor." He waited, snuggling his face in to a solid hip, and triumphed when he heard Greg sigh in defeat.

"Whatever. But I can't sleep when I'm clothed. I'm gunna go put on some sleepwear. You want any?" he slid out of Nick's arms and headed for the dresser. Nick agreed and was tossed a pair of pants, then Greg was gone in to the bathroom next door to change. Nick changed his pants without even getting off the bed and tossed his borrowed shirt on to the pile in the corner. He was snuggled under the covers and resting comfortably when Greg wandered back, wearing a faded orange Abba t-shirt over blue cotton bottoms. He paused at the edge of the bed and stared at Nick, registering the lack clothes on the torso. Nick grinned, pretending to be unaware of his thought process.

"You coming to bed sweetie?" he simpered in a girlish voice. Greg choked on the pet name and sat on the edge hesitantly. Nick rolled his eyes good-naturedly and hooked his waist again, but this time he pulled himself flush up against Greg's back and rested his head in the crook of the younger man's neck. He felt shiver after shiver wrack the body he held and knew it was not from the cold. The comforter was warm, and there were two bodies under it. He could just picture Greg's wide-open eyes, staring at nothing in a mixture of panic and helpless lust. Nick had casually kept an arm around the blonde's waist, and now he tightened his hold, moving his lips right next to an ear.

"You alright G?" he whispered, knowing his voice would be husky. Greg's shiver was monumental, and his voice came back unsteadily.

"Nick, what are we doing?" he was also whispering. Ah ha! Finally, he had given in; just what Nick had been waiting for. But the brunette played innocent a little while longer. He had to be sure, after all. He was protecting them both.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Greg refused to roll over and look him in the eye. He squeezed his own eyes shut and prepared to take the leap of faith. His companion waited patiently.

"Nick…you know I'm gay. I know you're bi. I _know_ you know I like you…why are you leading me on?" his voice was so low in his fear of rejection that Nick almost had to strain to hear it. He wondered just how long Greg had been alone, when his last relationship had been. His fear of Nick's answer suggested that it had been quite some time. But now that Nick had his definite answer, he could move in and kill that loneliness, and replace it with something he hoped would be wonderful.

"I'm not leading you anywhere Greggo," he confessed. Greg didn't dare roll over still, which made Nick smile. He leaned in and hovered his lips over the blonde's neck and when he whispered again, they grazed the soft skin there with every syllable. "I was kind of hoping you'd be exactly where I am." With those cryptic words said he caved to his own want and pressed his lips down. A gasp came out of the darkness and it fueled him on. He pressed soft kisses all around the crook of the neck and along the shoulder, tightening his hands around the waist he held and letting his fingers trace patterns on the hip they were near. He earned another shudder and an almost silent moan. His fingers danced away from the hip and he pressed his palm in to a set of very nice abs, his lips now working their way up the soft skin of the neck and towards the jaw line. Greg turned in to the kisses on reflex and failed to notice that he had rolled on to his back, at the mercy of Nick Stokes. The kisses continued to fly across his jaw and then they paused. He opened his eyes and met Nick's gaze. And then they kissed, and neither one held back.

Finally Greg found he could move his hands, but it was only to grasp on to Nick's arm to anchor himself to the real world as the kiss they shared blew him across the universe. It was followed by another kiss, and another, and another. Nick propped himself up and used his free hand to skim up Greg's chiseled chest and down a muscled arm, taking a hold of the hand on the end and lacing his fingers in to Greg's. He brought their linked hands up between them and broke away from the younger man's mouth, only to kiss his knuckles romantically. Greg was staring at him like it was too good to be true, but he wanted so much for it to _be_ true. And it finally was. Nick wasn't pulling away and laughing, he was staring intensely back at him. They both took a pause to drink in the closeness of their bodies, flush together all the way down, only their heads pulled back to observe one another.

"Did you know that when I first met you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen?" Nick murmured softly. Greg blinked.

"And what's the most beautiful thing you've seen since then?" he asked. Nick's grin lit up the room like the Fourth of July fireworks.

"It's always been you," he whispered, then leaned in to kiss Greg, gently suckling his lip before pressing in to them like they were sustenance and he was starving. He could feel Greg's craving for him, and he was only too happy to oblige, since he was of a similar craving himself. They kissed slow and soft and hands roamed, memorizing every curve and edge of each other. In essence, they were gathering evidence, getting every detail of one thing before they moved on to the next. Greg's hand glided over Nick's shoulder and down his back, pausing here and there to trace muscles or small scars. He was thankful for a moment that his own back full of scars was hidden by the mattress, before he realized that with Nick he didn't care. He could give Nick all of him and know that he had nothing to fear. So when Nick's hand returned to his hip and began playing with his waistband, Greg didn't hold back his sigh of want, and he could feel the smile growing against his lips as they kissed. When the hand slipped lower a groan escaped him before he even knew what was happening. Fingers were flickering along the inside of his thigh and he got harder the closer they came to the center. He was forced to pull away from the kiss in order to try and breathe, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Greg closed his eyes as he shivered in to his love's touch.

"Nicky," he breathed, almost inaudible. He felt Nick shudder at the tone in his voice, but then thought was erased when a strong hand closed around him. He cried out helplessly at the first firm stroke. Nick's breath on his neck made his skin super sensitive, and the hand that was pulling at him made all of his senses explode. His hands clutched for Nick, pulling him closer and seeking his mouth again. That was even better, and Greg soon found himself moaning Nick's name like a mantra and arching in to the touch, desperate for release. When he opened his eyes and saw the look Nick was giving him, and saw Nick mouth his name reverently, it was too much. He cried out sharply and his whole body jerked and he came hot and fast over Nick's hand, clutching desperately to the older man and digging his hands in to his back. When Nick had milked the last of his orgasm, he fell deeper in to the mattress, panting heavily, looking up to see the older man grinning madly.

"What are you laughing at Mr. Cheshire Cat?" the blonde asked, still a little breathless. His lack of air seemed to make Nick's grin bigger for some reason. He leaned in close and kissed the tip of Greg's nose.

"I've found something more beautiful, but it's still you," he whispered. Greg blushed, but grinned himself and pushed Nick so that he rolled and they switched positions. Again they stared at each other before Greg initiated a long, deep kiss that killed Nick's thought process.

"I'll show you beautiful," he whispered back. Before the brunette had processed that, Greg's mouth had latched on to one of his nipples and was rolling it gently between his teeth. A moan tore from his throat, and then he was silenced by Greg pulling his pants down in one quick swipe. His eyes flew open and he looked down, only to throw his head back again when Greg's mouth closed around his cock, so hot and wet that he fought not to come right away. He said something along the lines of "oh god" or "oh Greg" but he couldn't be sure, all his concentration was going in to not coming. He fought for every second of pleasure, and yet it was still too soon that he felt himself start to fall. His hands had woven in to Greg's hair at some point, he wasn't sure when, and he suddenly fisted them and groaning so loud it almost hurt his ears. Greg hummed and the vibrations sent him toppling over the edge, thrusting in to Greg's mouth before he realized that he might choke him. But Greg didn't complain. Instead he sucked harder, coaxing every drop out of him and licking it up in a way that had Nick half hard again already. When Greg sat up and licked his lips Nick was speechless, clutching the sheets to steady himself as they stared each other down. Then Greg laughed and Nick pulled him down beside himself, curling them both in to an incomprehensive ball of arms and legs and torsos.

When they eventually fell asleep, Nick ended up with his head curled on to Greg's chest with strong arms wrapped around him and holding him close. He smiled sleepily in to the muscles he was against, listening to the steady rhythm of a heart and deciding that he couldn't wish to be anywhere but here. As they drifted off, neither noticed a small flash of light from the doorway, or Jason slinking away silently with his digital camera clutched firmly in his hands.


	4. Chapter 4

Greg sighed and snuggled his face deeper in to whatever that was in front of him, unwilling to move and rid himself of that amazing dream he'd had of Nick the night before. He smiled to think of such deep emotions between the two of them. But when he opened his eyes, he found that the thing in front of him was a head of brunette hair, and the reason he was so warm was Nick being draped across him, sleeping just like in his dream. It appeared that he hadn't been dreaming after all. Greg smiled and kissed the top of his love's head, pulling him a little closer. The body in his arms moaned and pressed his face in to Greg's chest, trying to cling to sleep.

"Did I wake you up?" Greg asked quietly. Nick's eyes peered up at him almost shyly and it caught Greg's breath. They were so soft and deep he almost fell right in to them.

"Yeah but that's fine," Nick assured him. "At least it's a Sunday." With that he snuggled back in to the chest that served as his pillow, sighing contentedly. Greg watched him with awe in his eyes that Nick would accept this so fast. Their quiet Sunday morning, however, was not to be. It wasn't a half hour later when Jason came bursting in to the room and dive bombing them both, generating exclamations of shock and a couple of pain, since he landed on the entwined legs. He only laughed at them and shook his head.

"Guys you have to get up, there's someone at the door for you!" he cried enthusiastically, seemingly unsurprised to find them in bed together, and Nick without a shirt. The two men looked at each other and raised their eyebrows.

"Someone for both of us?" Greg asked. Jason nodded and grinned, but before they could ask any more questions he was up and gone again, ostensibly to tell this visitor to wait for them to wake up. Nick swung his legs over the side of the bed, out from under the coverlet, before he realized he still had no pants on. He sniggered and fished around under the sheets for them, also pulling on a random shirt from the floor. Greg, still being dressed, simply stood and stretched. They both headed out together, barefoot and sleepy as hell. At one point Greg closed his eyes while still walking and began tilting sideways. Nick straightened him out and they turned the corner leaning on each other, almost sleepwalking, to see Catherine standing in the doorway. They jumped apart like a fire had erupted between their shoulders. Catherine had her hands on her hips, glaring at Nick, and she didn't seem to take note of the almost intimate position they had walked over in.

"Nick where the hell is your cell phone?" she demanded. Nick pointed to the coat closet beside her, where his cell rested in his jacket pocket. He hadn't even worn the jacket all night. She turned her glare to Greg.

"And where's yours?" she asked. Greg thought about it for a moment until Jason piped up helpfully from behind them all.

"It's in the kitchen. You left it there after dinner." Greg just nodded, looking innocent, and pointed at Jason, indicating that it was true. Catherine sighed and threw her hands in the air.

"Well why didn't you pick up your house phone?" she exclaimed.

"I was sleeping!" Greg protested. They all looked backwards at Jason, and Catherine took this opportunity to get a good look at him since she'd barely seen him in the parking lot outside of the casino. She realized that he looked exactly like Greg must have when he was that age, and he even had the same goofy grin and mischievous twinkle to the eye. Greg asked him why he hadn't picked up the phone, since he was obviously awake, being dressed and all, but he testified that he'd had his iPod on too loud. Catherine dug her thumb and forefinger in to her eyes.

"I've been trying to find Nick all evening! You didn't answer either of your phones, so I called Warrick and he said you told him you were coming over here yesterday, so I called here, no answer. I called Greg's cell, no answer. I was worried you idiots!" She ranted away and told them just how stupid they were for leaving their phones around when they knew they could be called in at any time. Both men looked suitably contrite and apologized before asking why exactly she was here.

"Because you're on call Nicky, and Grissom called us in. We have to go work a homicide in Freedom Park. Get dressed!" She huffed and turned around to wait for him in her car, but turned back around and gave him a speculative look. He took a step back and asked what was wrong. "Since when are you a fan of Drowning Pool?" she asked. Nick looked down and saw that the shirt he'd pulled of the floor was black with a heavy metal band insignia on the front. It took a few moments to think of an excuse, but he remained causal at he shrugged for his coworker.

"What, you think I just keep jammies in my car in case I sleep somewhere?" he asked, grinning. Catherine muttered, "I do" before she turned and walked out to wait in the car. When Greg closed the door behind her he leaned against it and Nick and he shared a secretive smile. Forgetting Jason was even in the hallway, Nick sauntered closer and kissed his blonde love soundly before turning to go find where his clothes had been hung up to dry from his soaking the evening before. Greg stared dreamily at nothing until he noticed Jason standing there, smirking so hard his face almost broke. He ran away before questions could be asked though, so Greg went in search of his own clothes. Nick gave him a kiss goodbye and promised to come back later, and Greg watched him depart through the front window, feeling better than he had in a very long time. A drink never even crossed his mind all day.

The next three months were so much fun, sneaking around and trying to keep their new relationship a secret. A few things were hard to explain away, like when Nick accidentally came to work wearing Greg's pants, which were two sizes too small. He was teased mercilessly about how well they fit his butt, and Greg had to leave the break room three times because he was laughing so hard. It was also hard to explain why he never answered his house phone anymore, or why Greg stopped spiking his hair. To tell them it was because Nick liked to play with his natural hair would have created conniption fits. Warrick almost went in to apoplexy when he came in to the lab and found Greg bopping his head along to _country_, but that was passed off as a lost bet. The fact that both Nick and Greg often came to work tired but happy as bugs in a rug was completely lost on the others. It wasn't uncommon for a CSI to be tired, and Greg was always an energetic person. Nick's sudden upbeat attitude, however, raised some questions. Eventually, Warrick could take it no longer.

"Man, what has gotten in to you lately?" he asked as they both sat alone in the break room, sipping coffee and reading separate sections of the paper. Nick set down the classifieds and sipped his Blue Hawaiian. Warrick recognized the scent and wondered how Nick had wheedled that prized coffee from the young DNA tech; he protected it like it was a hoard of diamonds.

"What are you talking about?" the Texan asked, taking another calm sip and smiling over the rim of his mug. Warrick rolled his eyes.

"You've been on cloud nine for the past…forever," he pointed out, making Nick's smile grow. He just shrugged and went back to his section of the paper, skimming over the black and white wording without really reading it. He knew his African-American friend wouldn't be happy with that dismissal, and he only had moments to wait before his paper was gently tugged from his grasp and set down on the table. He sipped his coffee.

"Seriously, did you find a woman or something?" Warrick asked, suddenly eager and attentive. Nick barely held in his laughter, translating it in to a conspiratorial wink.

"No…but I found a guy," he murmured, taking his paper back and not fighting the heat that crept up his neck. Warrick crowed in enjoyment, slapping his huge hand down on the table. Nick's sexuality had never caused problems between the two of them; actually the tall man seemed more amused by his sexual choice than offended by it.

"Oh my, do I get to meet this mystery man?" he asked. Before Nick could answer Greg walked in, nonchalantly ignoring them and heading over to root through the fridge. His head came back up when he caught the aroma of _his_ coffee and glared at Nick, fully aware that it had been nicked straight from his kitchen at home. He didn't say anything though. Nick sipped it again and looked Warrick in the eye.

"Um, I think you might have already him," he mused, noting the way his friend's face lit up, then he got up and left him hanging, heading quickly for the evidence room where Catherine was still working on the girl they had found in the trees of Freedom Park. So far none of the prints they'd lifted had matched anything in CODIS or AFIS, and the blood hadn't found a match either. She was Jane Doe 348, which bothered him for some reason. When he got there, Catherine showed him pictures of some post-mortem bruising that had appeared around the navel. They were teeth imprints. Maybe this would help them! He let all thoughts of Warrick and Greg leave his mind and focused on the task at hand: bringing down justice. In the break room, Warrick was spluttering about idiots who leave when the conversation just gets interesting and relating this gossip to Greg, who listened with a straight face, amazingly. As the tall CSI was talking Sara and Catherine walked in, and Grissom soon after, so within a matter of minutes the whole team knew that Nick had found a guy that Warrick might or might not have met at least once. Greg hid his smile and speculated along with the rest about what this guy might be like.

After work he drove home and found that Nick had beat him there. The older man was in the yard throwing a football back and forth with Jason. Greg stopped in his car to watch them and smiled to himself at how domestic it looked. Nick had slipped in to their life without so much as a ripple. He was great with Jason, great in bed, and great to talk to. He was just great. When the blonde got out of his car, the two on the lawn called greeting and invited him to play, but he declined and headed right for the fridge, hungry like a mammoth. After dinner he and Nick went off in to the house and played some foosball, and were just heading back to the living room to watch a movie when they were stopped by a female voice just inside that very room. They looked at each other and peeked around the doorway to find a young girl with long red hair staring at a picture of them two on the wall.

"Who's that?" she was asking. Jason came up behind her and studied the photo in which Nick and Greg had their arms around each other. It was the one that had been hidden on Greg's desk in his room, but Nick had convinced him to hang it in the living room about a month ago. The black wrought iron frame set off the backyard scene nicely.

"That's my dad," Jason told her. She smiled over her shoulder at him, rolling her pretty green eyes.

"Which one?" she asked. Jason shrugged.

"Both of them," he said, holding his chin a little higher. Greg and Nick looked at each other, their eyes wide and their mouths dropping to the floor. If that statement wasn't the most blunt thing they'd ever heard in their lives, they were goldfish. They were also shocked that he already considered Nick his other father. Greg had been hoping it would come to that eventually, but he hadn't said anything for fear of making the other man uncomfortable. Jason's next words, however, blew them even farther away.

"And if you have a problem with it you can leave," he asserted. The redheaded girl only laughed a tiny little tinkle of a laugh, like silver bells, and faced the rash youth.

"I have two mothers," she admitted, making Jason smile and hug her. Greg thought if he had any other surprises he'd faint on the floor. Nick pulled on his arm and indicated the other direction. They retreated to the kitchen and grabbed sodas, discussing this the whole way there. Greg hopped up to sit on the counter and Nick leaned back on the island in front of him. They were still not over the suddenness of it and were still discussing it when they heard Jason clear his throat from the doorway. Both looked over together and found him and that pretty little girl there, smiling over at them. It was silent until the girl smiled brilliantly and leaned over, not taking her eyes off the two men.

"Are either of them your biological father?" she asked, not quietly. Greg choked on his soda and it sprayed out at Nick, who cried out and hit him over the head in retaliation. Jason and the girl roared with laughter.

"The spluttering idiot one is my biological father," he joked. "Can't you tell?" Obviously he was referring to how similar they looked, but the girl only shrugged.

"Well you look like both of them. Sure you have his face," she pointed at Greg, "but you have his hair and physique," she pointed at Nick. Greg and Nick looked at each other and tilted their heads at the exact same time, then looked over at Jason together. Jason rolled his eyes, thinking that they were _so_ meant for each other. Then Greg collected himself and drew a towel out from the drawer beside his legs, tossing it Nick and drawing his hands down his face to wipe the liquid off his cheeks. Then he tuned to his son and smiled that patented Sanders smile, the same one Jason had snagged this girl's attention with.

"So, who's your friend?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Jason actually blushed. He didn't bring girls home often, and when he did they were usually special. He out an arm around the red heads shoulders and held her gently to his side.

"This is Natasha, we met at the bowling alley a few months ago when you took me there. Natasha, this is my dad, Greg, and my dad, Nick." Natasha stepped in to the kitchen and shook hands with both men, who didn't miss Jason's not-very-subtle declaration of dual fatherhood. As it turned out, Natasha went to the same night school as Jason, a year below him. She lived with her two adoptive lesbian mothers a few neighborhoods away, and she was the one that Greg had heard talking to Jason about how clueless and stubborn he was at the alley. Greg predicted another smooth addition to the family as they chatted, finding that she was as pleasant as she was pretty, and very open-minded. Not to mention she liked both hard rock and country; that was a huge selling point. After the two youngsters had gone off to the game room, the elders headed for the living room to try again watching a movie. Nick jokingly suggested that they watch Brokeback Mountain when he spotted it sitting on the shelf of movies, but his laughter turned in to a speculative look, and they actually ended up watching it, smiling at the stupidity of Ennis and the stubbornness of Jack. When the credits were rolling, Nick looked over to find Greg staring at him.

"Move in with me," he stated out of nowhere. Nick gave his own stare.

"Um, what?" he stuttered. Greg smiled shyly and worried the hem of his shirt.

"Move in. Live with me. You're always here anyway." He held Nick's gaze, and witnessed the slow smile spreading across his face. The brunette reached out and grasped his hand, drawing circles on the back with his thumb and drawing him in for a deep kiss.

"That would be amazing," he whispered against Greg's lips before kissing him thoroughly. "What brought that on?" he asked when they pulled apart, Greg looking decidedly dazed. He shook his head to clear it and looked a little embarrassed.

"The movie actually. I…didn't want to turn out like Ellis, missing his chance because he was afraid of who he was." Nick smiled and drew Greg in to his arms. After they hugged Greg suddenly cried out "Jason!" and took off like a shot. Nick laughed and ran to keep up with his blonde energizer bunny. Greg bounded through the halls and burst in to the game room, startling the two kids playing pool. With a manic grin he ran straight at his son, grabbed him in a rough bear hug, and twirled him in a circle. Jason yelled in surprise, but didn't fight it. Nick leaned in the doorway as Greg continued to squeeze the life out of his only child.

"What's up with him?" Jason asked his brunette father figure, indicating his attacker with a jerk of his head. Nick shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh he's just excited is all," he said. Greg laughed manically again and ran out of the room, forever young at heart. Nick rolled his eyes, but couldn't deny the little swell of joy in his chest that kept bubbling up on to his face. Natasha was on the other side of the table, grinning like a loon.

"What's got him _that_ excited?" Jason wondered out loud as he took his shot, sinking a solid ball. Natasha stamped her tiny foot and pouted adorably. Obviously she was losing, as there were twice as many stripes left on the table as there were solids. Jason apparently did not play by the let-the-girl-win rule.

"He asked me to move in," Nick admitted. Jason hit himself in the forehead.

"_Finally_!" He called out, making the older man laugh.

"I avoided saying that," he muttered. Jason leaned on his stick to watch his new girlfriend take her shot. She missed by a mile, but when she wasn't looking he sunk it for her and gave congratulations. Maybe he did use the play nice rule. Subtly. After he took his next shot he leaned on his stick again and looked over at the adult in the doorway.

"So what made him do it?" he asked. Nick only smirked at him. Jason's jaw dropped open. "You didn't!" he cried out, making Natasha miss her shot again. "I suggested that movie as a joke!" He laughed so hard that he almost dropped his cue, and Nick left him to go find where the energizer bunny had hopped off to. Turned out he was just coming back in from the garage with a measuring tape. He waved off questions and flounced off again. Nick found him this time just coming out of the bedroom, but he was still being tight lipped. He shooed Nick away and told him to go do something else for a little while. The older man reluctantly left and went back to the game room. Neither of the youngsters had any idea what Greg might be doing. It only took about fifteen minutes until Greg bounded in to the room, grabbed Nick by the arm, and dragged him back out without a word, leaving two confused kids behind. When they reached Greg's room Nick took in what he had changed. The furniture had been shimmied around until the desk fit in beside the stereo, leaving one wall bare of even any posters.

"I've got the twin of my dresser in the garage. We could put it there, and you can get your own desk if you want and posters or whatever." Greg fidgeted nervously, tossing his measuring tape back and forth, waiting to hear what Nick thought of it. Nick just smiled and kissed him.

"Sounds perfect," he assured the blonde. They fell in to bed together and cuddled for a while, content to lay in silence and hold each other. Greg knew that it was getting earlier, and he should warn Jason that Natasha should be getting home soon and they should all be going to bed, but he found it hard to find the will to move away from the man he was entwined with. He cracked an eye open and looked at Nick's peaceful face, wondering if the brunette knew just how hard Greg had fallen for him. He wondered if Nick knew how much it meant to him, everything they did together. Greg had cut his drinking back, only having one with dinner every other day. The blonde smiled when he thought of the dinner the team had gone to together a month before where he'd just been about to order a beer when Nick cut him off and ordered him a Root Beer instead. The looks the others had given them were priceless, since they had no idea what had just happened, but they'd happily ignored them and held hands under the table the whole time. It was the little things that kept them so happy during the day, when they couldn't lose themselves in a warm embrace. And Jason had taken to Nick like a kid to candy, as if he was the one the young lad had been waiting on his entire life. They played sports together, just like him and Greg, and roughhoused familiarly. Jason sat between them on the couch when they all watched movies and more than once he'd fallen asleep on Nick's shoulder instead of Greg. Thinking of Jason suddenly brought Greg an idea and his happy little noise startled Nick out of his half-slumbering state.

"Let's have a birthday party for Jason next month. We can invite the whole team, and all his friends, and Natasha. He'll love it!" Greg became more excited about it as he talked, suddenly full of energy. He looked down at Nick, who smiled back at him tiredly.

"That sounds pretty cool Greggo," he agreed. Greg kissed him on the forehead and went to tell Jason that it was getting late and send Natasha home. He waited with them for Natasha's mother to come pick her up, and went out and introduced himself. Her name was Julia, and she thought it absolutely hysterical that both kids had gay parents. Once Jason was sent off to get some sleep, Greg strolled to his own room to find Nick already asleep, reaching off towards his side of the bed. He smiled and slipped in to the bed and under the arm that reached for him.

With each day that brought their surprise party for Jason closer, Greg and Nick grew more excited. A couple weekends before, they stole his cell phone and called all his friends and Natasha. Greg had already asked all their coworkers and they had agreed to a man to come. They were all very excited to meet this mini-Greg. The two men also decided that it would be at this party that they finally told everyone about their relationship. No one even noticed when Nick had moved in because they'd given up calling his home phone a while back, only calling his cell, which he kept on him at all times. It was the Monday before the party, which was on the upcoming Saturday, and Nick was sitting it the evidence room, staring at trace results with little interest. Greg and he had taken separate vehicles so the blonde could drive his son to school, and Nick found that he missed the younger man already. Boy, he thought, am I in deep.

He shook his head and refocused on the results that told him his male vic had been covered in Listerine, which was kind of odd. Or so he thought, until he realized that original Listerine had quite a bit of alcohol in it, and the vic had been found in a hotel room. Listerine had probably been a quick-clean job to wash away the blood, since it was the closest thing to a cleaning agent available to a couple on vacation. Nodding to himself, he set off down the halls towards Hodges to see if the annoying analyst could tell him if his theory were plausible. It took a moment for the commotion to reach him because he was so deep in the lab, but suddenly he realized that he could hear running feet and screaming voices. He raised his head to see a familiar face coming towards him with streaks of blood drying on his face.

Jason ran as fast as he could through the lab, aiming nowhere in particular, trying desperately to avoid the three cops and the blonde CSI lady tailing him and trying to catch him. When he spotted a surprised Nick, he added an extra burst of speed and headed straight for him.

"Dad!" he called out on instinct, not realizing the mode of address he had used. Nick realized who it was just as Jason collided with him. The cops skidded to a halt, along with Catherine, who finally recognized the teenager and gave Nick a cocked eyebrow.

"Dad?" she murmured, but no one was listening. Jason was crying and screaming and Nick was doing his best to calm him down and get a straight answer out of him. It took a couple minutes; the boy was absolutely hysterical. By the time he finally strung together a half coherent sentence, everyone had gathered from the entire building and they all felt their blood run cold.

"It's dad, it's Greg dad, he – he was in a car accident, he's in the hospital!" Jason lost it again and flung himself on Nick, who held him close, stunned in disbelief. All he could think was not again, not now. He stood there, holding his 'son', and turning a deaf ear as the people around him made exclamations of shock and began gossiping like mad. He also ignored the curious stares he was getting. He pried Jason off him again and held him firmly by the arms. It took a couple shouted tries to get the hysterical boy to pay attention to him.

"Jason, tell me what happened," he demanded gently. He sniffed and nodded. The entire staff went silent and leaned in closer.

"H-He was driving me to school, and there was this asshole who-"

"Jason watch your language," Nick snapped it out on reflex, missing the looks some people gave him. Jason just nodded and continued.

"There was a guy who was swerving around like mad and he drove right up beside us and clipped someone on the other side. He…it happened so fast. He swerved towards us and then there was all these loud noises and I closed my eyes and suddenly we weren't moving anymore and dad was trapped in his seat, the windshield was smashed, and dad wasn't moving." Jason paused and looked Nick in the eye. "He screamed your name," he whispered in a shaky voice. Nick's mouth tried to form words as his eyes teared and his body shook, but all that came out was 'no, no, no', repeated over and over again. He grabbed Jason and headed for the exit, shoving people out of his way rudely. He didn't care who it was, or even if he knew them, they were between him and his Greg, and they had to move. Finally they made it through the crowd and they ran for his car together. Nick thought he heard Grissom or someone calling out after him but he couldn't have cared less, even if he got fired. He spun his tires in his hurry and squealed out on to the road, speeding all the way to the hospital, tears blurring his vision and fear strangling his heartbeat.


	5. Chapter 5

Nick and Jason spent two hours in the waiting room, holding on to each other for dear life, sipping water that a kind, knowing nurse had brought them. Other CSIs drifted in to check up on them, but Nick left most of their questions unanswered. They each tried to offer him support, but his greatest comfort stemmed from the hand that held him as Jason sat next to him, drawing his own comfort from the small embrace. It was Catherine who happened to be there when the doctor approached them, saying Greg was released for visitation, but still unconscious. Nick and Jason clung to each other as they wandered through the white halls to find the right room, and then they both paused, not really wanting to see him broken in that bed _again_. Catherine opened the door and waved them inside, and that broke their spell.

Greg had his left leg in a thick cast, and his right arm was swathed in bandages. His chest was covered in bandages as well, along with the top of his head. Tiny cuts covered his face so that he matched Jason, who had refused medical attention, simply rubbing his face down with water and a paper towel. Nick gave Jason one last squeeze, then they sat on opposite sides of the bed, each taking up a hand. Catherine pulled up a seat next to Nick and laid a hand on his shoulder. She watched his face very carefully as he studied the man he loved, barely holding in his tears.

"Jason called you dad," she whispered, but Jason heard and he looked up from the other side of the bed.

"He _is_ my dad," he asserted, his voice harsh from crying. Nick didn't even spare her a glance, concentrating instead on the unconscious blonde.

"That's not a discussion for right now, Cath," he whispered back to her. She would have asked again anyway, but she could hear the worry in his voice and decided not to push him. Obviously he was feeling very fragile, and a second emotional trip was not what he needed right now. When Warrick arrived to take over the watch she kissed him goodbye on the cheek but he ignored her, and she gave Warrick a pointed look as they passed. He understood her concerns, but he planned on only playing the good friend. It was what the two brunettes needed right now. After the two men had greeted each other, Warrick picked up the chart hanging off the end of the bed and scanned the injuries listed there. The left leg was broken in four different places, the left arm had several large gashes that tore off ligaments and flesh, two broken ribs, myriad cuts covering the face, chest, and both arms from the glass, and a small crack in the left side of his skull. He shoved the list under Nick's nose, pointing out the report where it stated that the head injury would not cause any brain damage, and that the others were expected to heal with no complications. Nick handed the report to Jason.

Later that night they both refused to go home. They fought with the nurses who were trying to kick them out for an hour and a half until Jason screamed that it was the third time Greg had been in here, and that he hadn't been allowed to visit the other two times. It stopped all arguments on the spot. The nurses all felt so bad that they gave them a key to the door and locked them in, pulling a curtain over the window. Greg still hadn't woken up, and they were both praying that it was just because of the amount of morphine pumping in to his veins. The silence slowly began killing Nick; he felt like he was going to hit something soon if nothing happened, so he began speaking quietly to Jason.

"Were you really denied visitation the last two times?" he asked. Jason looked up, his eyes finally dry, but there was a hallow worry left behind in the wake of the tears. He sniffed his still running nose and nodded a little.

"I got in to see him once each time, but he would tell me to go home. He didn't want me seeing him like this. I stayed with the neighbors." When he fell silent again Nick stared at his young, shaking frame. It must have been pretty hard, he realized. He knew how it felt too, to not be able to see a loved one in a dangerous hour. His own father had a heart attack a couple years ago and he hadn't been able to fly out to see him, and make sure he was ok. So he offered a sympathetic hand to Jason, completing the circle around their little blonde sunshine. Nick felt his heart yearn for Greg's smile, for him to wake up and make some sort of joke to let them know he was ok. But he just lay there, motionless and looking very vulnerable. It was not a look that either of them had ever associated with him before. Eventually they both fell asleep, still holding hands in a circle, and their heads touched together in Greg's lap. When one of the night nurses came in to check on the patient, she smiled warmly at the sight that greeted her and called over the others. One of them brought her Polaroid and snapped two photos, sliding one in to her pocket and setting the other innocently among Greg's personal affects.

Nick and Jason both slept throughout the day, and when evening rolled around again Nick called the high school, letting them know that their student would not be coming in for a few days. Apparently Jason had already informed them that he had two fathers because they accepted his identity and reasons without a fight. Then, since Jason was still asleep, Nick made a call to Natasha to let her know what was going on. She screamed when he told her where they were, and began to cry, but since she couldn't skip school he stayed on the phone long enough to calm her down before she had to leave. Then he opened his phone once more to call Grissom and ask for time off. The boss wasn't happy about it, but he realized that Nick would be no good to him if he were distracted by worry from being taken away from Greg. Nick thanked him profusely, reported that Greg was still stable but not awake, and said goodbye.

When Jason finally awoke, they chatted about nothing, still encircled. The nurses brought them hospital rations, but neither had an appetite, and the trays were taken away again silently. This kind of worry was not uncommon. And so they waited and worried, and worried and waited. There was nothing else they could do. Midnight came, and passed, and dawn was just breaking when a small sigh escaped from Greg's lips, instantly silencing the two holding his hands. They were suddenly riveted, all attention on him and their conversation lost to the winds. Greg turned his head to the side and took in a deep breath, struggling to open his eyes. When he managed to succeed he was met with Nick's teary brown eyes and a relieved smile. He furrowed his brow.

"Nick," he whispered, "where am I?" Nick made a small noise, trying not to fall apart. Jason's hand tightened around his.

"The hospital G. There was an accident," he couldn't get his voice above a shaky whisper. He watched Greg's face take on a look of confusion, then the memories began to slowly seep in, and a look of horror filled his face. He tried to bolt up in his bed but his body didn't respond.

"Jason!" he cried, panic lacing his voice. A hand squeezed his and a voice came from the other side.

"I'm here dad, I'm fine." Greg fought with his unresponsive muscles and turned his head to see Jason on the other side with a cut up face but no other visible injuries. He expelled a great sigh of relief and tension flowed out of him as he muttered "Hey Sport". When two hands squeezed him he looked down without moving his head and saw the little family circle that his two boys had created. It made him smile and he closed his eyes as Jason recounted what happened for him, filling in the parts where his memories failed and telling of what happened afterwards. He opened one eye to regard his son.

"How did you get to the lab?" he asked. Jason shuffled his feet under the chair he sat on.

"I rode here in the ambulance with you and called a cab to take me to Nick," he admitted. Greg nodded, hating the pangs of pain that laced through him when he did so, and opened his mouth but got cut off. "Don't send me away this time," Jason pleaded hurriedly. Greg smiled and nodded again, wincing at the pain again. He turned his head back to Nick, who seemed to be watching him with an eagle eye like a worried spouse might.

"You yelled my name," Nick started, but didn't finish the sentence because he had no idea where he wanted to go with it. Greg just smiled again.

"I was calling out for help, actually," the blonde said deprecatingly. "I think you were my last thought before the guy hit me. I wanted to hold you one last time." Nick felt the tears finally slide out of his eyes and down his cheeks and he sniffed against them as he leaned down to kiss Greg. Greg couldn't find it in him to cry, he was so relieved to find his son was ok. In the split second that he'd had to see that car coming at him, he'd thought that this was finally it. To wake up in the hospital with yet another chance and see Nick there waiting was probably the greatest gift life had ever given him. After a while Nick phoned Grissom again and let him talk to Greg. Greg joked that it was a good thing he was right handed and Nick knew that he would be ok. The nurses came in a little while later and he had to hang up the call, which had been passed around to everyone in the lab and had landed eventually on Archie. After his examination, which Nick and Jason had to be set outside of a curtain for, the nurse said he had to stay one more day, and then he could be released to go home. So it was Thursday by the time that Greg saw the inside of his own walls, hobbling around the place on crutches. He could only use one crutch though because he was forbidden to use his left arm. It stayed tied tightly to his chest, which was also bound tightly to help heal his ribs.

The other two helped him as much as they could, getting things for him and such. Nick helped him with changing clothes and took over the cooking. Greg, unlike most people, didn't like to be pampered, but he dealt with being largely incapacitated as best he could. When he had a moment alone, he called Natasha and – once he got her to stop crying – asked her to make sure all of Jason's friends still showed up for the party in two days. She assured him she'd do it, and he called Grissom to make sure that the people from the lab were still coming. The fervent 'you think we wouldn't come visit you? Are you nuts?' made him smile warmly as he hung up. It seemed like it wasn't until you escaped death that you found out how much you really meant to the world, he thought, having discovered how the girls at LVPD had cried over his accident. He'd never asked about anyone's reactions to any of his other accidents, assuming that they were barely affected. Apparently he'd been wrong, according to Nick.

When Saturday rolled around he hobbled out of bed and down to the kitchen without waking Nick up. Having use of only one leg made his hallways seem twice as long, and he had begun to wonder why they needed a house this big. In the kitchen he took out the cake he'd made and hidden in the back, along with icing he'd bought. By the time Nick ambled in, the white cake was covered perfectly with chocolate icing, and decorated with white lettering and little frills in traditional places. Not bad, if he had any say in it. Then again, it was his eighteenth birthday cake, he had to be good at it by now or he'd be a slow learner – not a good trait for a CSI wannabe. Nick came up behind his chair and leaned down to wrap his arms around Greg's shoulder, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Greg smiled and waved at the cake.

"What do think?" he asked. Nick turned a critical eye to the confection, but he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

"Looks great," he decided, giving Greg another kiss and taking the cake away to hide it in the fridge again. They worked together to make up a few pitches of punch for the teenagers and plates of sandwiches for all. It was all ready and hidden away an hour before Jason woke from his deep slumber. He stumbled in and slumped in to a chair, professing hunger. Nick handed him a bowl and a box of cereal, getting a glare in return. He only chuckled and ruffled the youth's hair fondly while pouring his own bowl of cereal, as well as one for Greg. They ate in silence, and when Jason was done Greg sent him off to get dressed. This roused no suspicion, thankfully, and the two adults settled in to wait, watching TV to pass the time.

Two hours later, he heard the first car approach and sent them around to the back yard. He and Nick took turns for the next half hour sitting on the front porch, greeting guests and directing them to the backyard. When Natasha came she almost hugged the stuffing out of Greg and re-broke his ribs. Jason was in his room the whole time with the music on and the blinds pulled; he had no idea that anything was afoot. Once all the kids had arrived, Greg fumbled his way down the halls to his son's room and let himself in. He gave some half cooked story about needing help with something in the backyard, saying Nick was busy with something else, and it worked like a charm. Jason hopped right up and followed him. They walked at his pace, meaning that it took about fifteen minutes altogether to get there and back. When they reached the back door he let Jason go first, and smiled at the huge group shout of 'SURPRISE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY'. He also enjoyed his son jumping a foot in the air in fright. Greg shoved him out in to the yard, watching him run to greet his friends from school and his girlfriend, and then hobbled out himself. When he looked up he saw that the team from the lab had all arrived as well, having all come in two vehicles right from work. They swarmed him before he even got off the porch, fussing over his cast and bandages.

"How are you feeling?" Sara was the one to ask.

"Better than I thought I would," Greg joked, giving them all his goofy grin and patting his cast. He pulled a marker out of his pocket and asked if anyone wanted to sign it. Sara grabbed it first, being closest, and pushed up his pant leg, scribbling away on the white plaster. They all chatted about how it happened and Catherine recounted how she hadn't recognized Jason at first when he had burst in, demanding to see Nick. They laughed at how he'd outrun her and three feds.

"I thought my heart would jump out of my chest when he said you'd been hurt again," Warrick confessed from where he was leaning against the wooden railing. The others nodded in agreement and Greg felt a warm fuzzy in his own chest. Catherine suddenly stopped nodding and held up a questioning hand.

"Uh one thing. When he got to the lab, Jason was calling Nick 'Dad'. What's that all about?" she asked. Nick was standing behind Greg's chair, and they looked at each other for confirmation. This was it, no turning back now. Greg cleared his throat and Grissom sat back on his heels from where he'd been signing the cast, twirling the marker between his fingers. They all looked right at Greg.

"Well…Nick moved in with me a month ago. And, we've been seeing each other since about three months before that. Jason…sees him as another father." He watched their faces for a reaction. Warrick burst out laughing before anyone could say anything though, and it almost over balanced him over the railing. Sara reached out and steadied him, and he bent forward to lean on his own knees, still laughing.

"Oh my god. Nicky, you're an ass. Greg's your mystery guy? That's just…brilliant!" And he was off in fits of laughter again, leaving the rest of the gang to catch up slowly and remember the day when Warrick had told them all Nick had met someone that Warrick may or may not have already met. Then they all turned a funny eye on Greg, who had been in the room and gossiped with them. He made innocent puppy eyes. Who could resist those? He was forgiven immediately. A little while later they helped him get down the porch stairs and walk out in to the yard to meet the parents that were sitting around. He met Natasha's other mother, Laura, and they hit it off right away. The two gay couples stood there, each holding hands, and laughed at the oddity of it. After a while they separated and Nick and Greg went back to sit with their coworkers, who resumed fussing over Greg. Through out the next couple hours, random people signed Greg's cast, the cake was devoured, and Jason appeared to enjoy himself immensely. Then it was present time, the best time of all. The birthday boy quivered with excitement that everyone had brought him presents, since he considered himself too old for that. But nevertheless he was bombarded by boxes and bags filled with clothes, CDs, a watch, video games, and a picture of him and Natasha that one of his friends had actually hand drawn. The artwork was amazing. The CSIs got him presents too, a science kit from Grissom and Sara, a card filled with cash from Warrick, and a nice sweater from Catherine.

Greg thought that it was done and he could give his own present now, but then Nick called out and tossed a small, blue wrapped box across the yard. Jason caught it deftly and right away tore off the paper, pulling out a shining brass badge with the LVPD symbol stamped in to it and the letters R.C. stamped below. He furrowed his brow and looked up to find all the CSIs gaping at it.

"Nick where did you get that?" Warrick asked. Nick grinned.

"I called in a favor with a higher up, and he pulled some strings for me." He pointed to the badge in Jason's hand. "That's a civilian's badge," he explained. "The letters stand for Recognized Civilian. If you ever get in to a tight spot, flash that at the authorities and they'll listen to you first. It's a big responsibility." Jason looked down at his gift, pride shining in his face, and showed it carefully to those around him, but not letting them touch it. Greg pulled on Nick's arm and the older man could see the shock written in his love's face.

"Nick…wow," Greg breathed out. The others on the porch nodded along. It was a huge present, and that said louder than anything how seriously Nick was involved with Greg, that he would do this for his kid. The brunette pulled his lover in and thumped him on the back, and when he pulled away he kept an arm about his shoulders. After a few minutes Jason came walking up to the porch, his civilian's badge clipped on to his shirt pocket, and his arm wrapped around his girlfriend. He glanced up and called out to his father.

"All right dad, I'll bet everything I got today that you can't top that present," he challenged. Greg grinned and stood up.

"I refuse to take that bet my friend, because I know I'll win. I actually got you two presents. Help me." Jason extricated himself from Natasha and hurried over to help him down the porch steps. Greg led him all the way across the yard to the giant back shed. "If you would help me open the doors," he asked. Jason hurried to oblige. Since it was the wee hours of the morning, everyone here being a night hawk, and the only light they had was the lights coming off the house, it was impossible to see it to what was inside the shed, even with the double doors slid open. Greg made Jason stay put and stepped in to the darkness. After a moment light flooded the shed and revealed the only thing in the structure: a 1966 Corvette, black, and in mint condition. Jason's eyes almost came out of his head and he fell on his ass in the grass. As Greg came ambling back in to view, he heard Warrick's admiring whistle from the other side of the lawn.

"My first car. Had it shipped all the way from California, and I've been working on it for a year or so. She purrs like a dream and rides smoother than chocolate." He grinned as he reached his son, who couldn't his eyes off the car. "And she's all yours." He dropped a key in to Jason's lap and the boy scrambled up.

"Oh my god…" he whispered. He made to step towards his new vehicle, but Greg caught his arm, a gentle smile on his face, and turned him around.

"And there is your second present, right on time," he said, pointing to the side yard. All heads turned to see an elderly couple coming around the side of the house hesitantly, their eyes darting here and there until they landed on Greg and his look alike. Then their faces became apprehensive. Greg asked for help again, and they slowly met the elder couple halfway. "Jason, these are your grandparents," he announced. The young brunette looked at them in shock. These were the people who had abandoned him and his father before they even met him, the people that had let them struggle on their own for years, the people that had severed all contact with them long ago. But he felt no anger. He only felt a sense of awe that they finally wanted to know him, and a hope that they might finally accept his father, and heal that wound. They stared back at him in wonder.

"You look…so much like your father," the woman said, looking back and forth between them. The whole backyard of people was watching, and it was obvious even to the dumbest people there that Greg hadn't spoken to his parents in a long time by the way he introduced them. The elder man looked at Greg's injured state and frowned.

"Greg, you didn't tell us you'd been hurt, what happened?" he asked. Greg cleared his throat and looked at the ground.

"We'll get to that later. For now, I think you should talk to your grandson. He's a good kid, you won't be…disappointed." With that he clapped Jason on the shoulder and struggled away. Nick leapt off the porch and came to help him. After that the rest of the people turned away and chatted amongst themselves, mostly about the last three presents the birthday boy received. The young brunette stayed and chatted with his new relatives for a long time, until it was time for everyone else to go home. Then he made sure to say goodbye and thank everyone for their presents. Greg said goodbye to the team, who had gotten their moment each to speak with Jason much earlier, and he and Nick retreated in to the house. After a while, Jason led his grandparents in to the living room where the two fathers waited, and they all sat in silence.

"Gregory," the elder woman finally said something, "I don't know what to say." The blonde looked up at her and didn't even try to hide the hurt that was swimming in his eyes. He let the pain of all eighteen years of being shunned show on his face and almost enjoyed when he saw both his parents flinch.

"Apologizing would be an excellent start," he suggested. The woman sighed.

"Who's this?" his father interrupted, pointing at Nick, who sat between Greg and Jason on the couch, ready to control either one of them. Greg lifted his head and drilled his eyes in to his fathers'.

"This is my partner, Nick Stokes."

"Oh, like a work kind of partner?" his mother asked innocently. He sent her a withering glare.

"Don't do that mom," he commanded harshly. "You know very well how I meant it." Nick put a hand on his arm and he forced himself to calm down. Both the parents shifted uncomfortably on their couch and for a moment they avoided his eyes.

"I'm sorry dear," his mother apologized, "but old habits die hard." Greg stood up so fast it scared Jason and he took an angry step forward before Nick caught his arm to hold him in place.

"You think of ignoring me as a habit? You're just as asinine as you were eighteen years ago!" He snorted at their guilty faces and shook off Nick's arm. He spoke again in a gentler voice, "Jason, go to your room. You shouldn't hear this." His son looked up at him, then nodded and left the room obediently. Greg shook his head, but let Nick pull him back in to his seat. "I knew this would happen, but I brought you here for him, not me. He deserved to know who you were. Not that _you_ deserve to know _him_." His biting comment caused silence to descend upon the room as he rested his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands. Nick placed a comforting hand on his back, staring at the two elder folk with an absolutely blank face, no expression. It seemed to bother them immensely, which he figured justified him to continue doing it. Eventually they couldn't take it any more.

"So, Nicholas was it?" the father said. "Where do you live?" Nick assumed a feral grin.

"I live here, with Greg and Jason," he admitted freely. They looked at each other and back to him, and he could see them trying not to shudder.

"Well, I'm Mark, and this is Lisa, we're…very pleased to meet you." Mark tried to offer him a smile, but Nick gave him his blank face again and tilted his head to the side.

"No your not," he clarified. Greg snorted in to his hands and murmured something indistinguishable. It had a congratulatory tone to it though. Silence fell over them all again, and remained while Greg got up and went in to the kitchen to make coffee. He brought back a tray with four steaming cups on it, but the two that he handed to his parents did not have the trademark Blue Hawaiian scent to it, which Nick noted with an inward smile. Oh the pettiness of grown men. They all sat and sipped the coffee. After a while, Lisa seemed to gather her courage again.

"I didn't know you liked coffee, dear. You used to hate it," she said. It was evidently the wrong thing to say because Greg narrowed his eyes pointedly at her.

"The last time you saw me, I was sixteen," he snarled. "That was more than half my life ago. You really shouldn't assume that you know _anything_ about me anymore. I don't even look the same." Nick blinked. He thought Greg looked exactly like his younger self, but Mark sat back against his seat on the other couch.

"It's true. You've dyed your hair. You're taller. You're thinner. And if I'm not mistaken, you're eyes used to be green," he finished his rundown of differences by leaning forward and getting a closer look in to his son's eyes. Greg sneered over at him in a very un-Greg manner. Rage can change a person.

"No dad. They were hazel. They used to change color from green to brown and back again. They haven't changed, though, since I left home. Or should I say, since I was kicked out."

"Now hold on a minute, we had a good reason for that-"

"Oh what, your reputation? 'Cause as I recall you told me you didn't want to live with the disgrace that I had brought down upon you!"

"You listen here young man!"

"I'm not a boy anymore!" Greg screamed this sentence as loud as he could, scaring even Jason, who hid unnoticed on the other side of the door, and leapt to his feet again. "I don't have to listen to anything you have to say. You're here to get to know my son, not your son. As far as you were concerned that day, you didn't even have a son. So don't turn around and go all paternal on me now." His parents watched him with sick fascination, amazed that he had grown so independent. Greg had admitted to Nick before that growing up he's had almost no backbone when it came to his parents. He'd let them push him around however they liked and never said a word. Well, now he was making up for it. Mark stood up off the couch and waved at Lisa to stand too.

"I think we should all sleep on this. This was Arnold's house before it was yours. I remember my way to the guest bedrooms. We'll cool down, and meet again in the morning." When Jason heard footsteps he bolted, not wanting anyone to know what he had heard. Eavesdropping was a horrid habit, this he knew. But Greg had always refused to speak of how he became so estranged from his own family. This was probably the only way for him to find out the truth. Jason hated what he had heard, every word of it.

Back in the living room, Nick stood up next to his blonde lover and held him close. He felt Greg relax against him as their bodies pressed together comfortingly. They stood there together until Greg announced that he just wanted to go to bed and headed off without waiting for the older man. Nick watched him go, but sank back down on to the sofa by himself and dragged a hand down his face. His own folks weren't very supportive of his sexuality, but at least he still spoke with them, and they strove to be understanding. Greg's relationship with his family was disastrous, if existent at all. As Nick understood it, some of his family had kept contact after he'd been kicked out, being more accepting of Jason than Mark and Lisa had been. They'd sheltered him while he looked for an apartment of his own and supported him. Until they found out that Greg was gay, and then they turned on him like a pack of wolves, leaving him to face the world alone. Nick dropped his hands in his lap, then hauled himself to his feet and headed to their bedroom to hold Greg tight, and make sure he understood that Nick was one who would not be leaving.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning was a trying affair. Greg tripped over his own cast getting out of bed and woke Nick up when he crashed to the floor. Far from being angry, Nick picked him up and smiled at his cuss words. The trying began when they entered the kitchen to find Lisa making omelets – the only type of egg neither Greg nor Jason liked. Nick did enjoy them, but he supported Greg by also refusing the proffered treat and fetching the boxes of cereal from the cupboard. They all ate in silence with Greg eyeing his parents with dirty looks, making it clear he really didn't want them there. Jason sighed, knowing that Greg had brought them here for him, and despite all the hurt they'd done to his father, they'd done naught to him but ignore him because of where he came from. So he struck up a conversation with Mark about science, which Mark knew little about, but he listened avidly to Jason's excited words. Lisa's disapproving face clearly said she thought Greg was a corrupting influence, that the young boy should be thinking of cars and construction or even girls. Not science. Greg, however, was very proud. Nick was too, oddly enough.

After breakfast Greg and Nick went off to the indoor pool. Greg couldn't actually swim because of his cast, but he put on his swim trunks anyway and splashed his good foot in the water, enjoying watching Nick do laps. He loved to watch the wet muscles ripple under his tanned Texan skin. Thinking about that almost took his mind off his family troubles until he heard the door open behind him and a startled gasp of "oh my goodness!" resounded through the echo-prone room. He looked over his shoulder and found – whom else – his parents, and they were staring at his back, horrified. He sighed and struggled to raise himself to his feet. Nick stopped swimming and began treaded water, watching his love cautiously in case his temper get out of hand again.

"Gregory, what happened?" Greg's mother was saying. Jason popped his head out from behind her and gave him an apologetic look. Greg understood. He hadn't mentioned where they'd be hiding, so Jason had no way of knowing he'd be in here. He faced his mother.

"Oh nothing, I just got blown up a little bit," he remarked offhandedly. He knew it would drive her wild, being passed off like her concerns weren't important. That had always wound her up, and she had been too old to change, even back then. Her irritation mingled with her flabbergasted expression and Greg almost laughed at the resulting look.

"You got _what_?" she exclaimed, puttering forward to get a look at his back again. He turned and faced away from them, allowing them a full view of his scars.

"I was working with unstable chemicals, and they blew up in my face. I got thrown through a glass wall, third degree burns, all that fun stuff. That was my first accident." He turned back around to see his parents' faces, loving that he had kept them out of his dire moments, and loving that it hurt them. He could see it in their faces, they were wounded that they hadn't been told he was in danger. Nick pulled himself out of the pool and grabbed a towel, wiping himself down as he padded up behind Greg and openly tracing the marks there. He was far from repulsed.

"I'm sorry, first accident?" Mark flustered about, his eyebrows disappearing in to his receding hairline. Greg nodded casually.

"Oh, yeah. I was out in the field when I was attacked by a gang. They almost beat me to death, actually. They'd already killed another man that night, and the only thing that stopped them from killing me was because they thought I'd die anyway when they walked away." He was concentrating hard on his folks, so he missed the cringe Nick and Jason shared as he spoke so bluntly about one of the biggest scares of both their lives. Nick patted his back and handed him his shirt before reaching for his own. The Texan continued to absently dry his shorts with the towel as the family staring contest continued, and Jason began considering waving a hand between them, to check if any of them were even paying attention anymore. After a while Lisa shook her head and dropped her eyes.

"Gregory, if we had known, we would have come," she said. "Do you think we care so little about you, that we wouldn't care if you died?" Greg considered her, tilting his head to the side as if wondering about her words.

"Yes actually. I do think that. You've never proven otherwise, what else am I supposed to think?" He let that sink in before asking Nick for help and walking away on his one crutch, hating the arm strapped tight to his chest for making him look weak. Guilt swelled as a tiny bubble inside him, but the only guilt he felt was for leaving Jason to deal with those two coots, not for speaking to them like that. All they deserved in his mind was to be ignored like he'd been ignored, and to be cast aside like he'd been cast aside. But he knew he wouldn't do that. He wanted Jason to have the family he didn't, and if he could get his parents to accept the boy, then he'd be in with the rest of them, and he could meet them all and revel in their love. Love they'd kept from Greg, the blonde thought bitterly. He suddenly stopped walking and Nick gave him a curious look. Neither heard Jason leading his grandparents down that very hall close behind.

"Oh god, Nick, this must be horrible for you! I'm sorry that you're suddenly caught in the middle of my problems," Greg began ranting on, apologizing many times, until Nick cut him off with a tender kiss that scattered his thoughts and almost knocked him off-balance. They pulled apart and Nick rested their foreheads together, holding him close.

"Hush love. I'm glad that I'm here to help you. The Lord above knows what you would be like if I weren't here to keep an eye on you!" he chuckled a bit and then jumped out of his skin as a voice boomed from a few feet down the hall.

"What did you just say, Nicholas?" Mark asked intently. Greg held his breath and counted backwards from ten. Repeatedly. How did they keep finding him and popping out of nowhere? It was a little nerve-wracking to know he didn't even have privacy in his own home. Nick didn't loosen their embrace as he turned his head and repeated his words verbatim. Mark stared openly.

"You believe in the good Lord?" he asked, very surprised. Nick blinked.

"I was raised Christian," he verified. Mark and Lisa shared a look that went a long way and Mark slapped the side of his own leg.

"But you're…"

"Gay?" Nick ended the sentence for him. "I know I'm living in sin, sir, but to be honest I couldn't care less. I'm happy, and that's the ultimate goal Jesus fought for. Joy and freedom. My sins will be forgiven when I get up above, because I still pay homage to God and I still fight to bring justice for the weak. And so does your son. You'd do well to realize that he's done nothing wrong, and that he's grown in to a better person without you there." He glared at his in-laws, daring either one of them to say something. Greg wasn't sure what shocked him more, that Nick stood up to his parents, his words, that he wasn't afraid of what they thought, or that their reaction was a very guilty, thoughtful silence. They thought his words over thoroughly and the three Vegas boys waited breathlessly to see what the verdict would be. Mark cleared his throat about five times, and crossed and uncrossed his arms, ending with shoving his hands in to his pockets. Lisa didn't move a muscle as she stared at the wall. Mark finally took a deep breath.

"You have a point Mr. Stokes," he admitted, "a point that we failed to see before. I suppose that Mrs. Sanders and I have much to think about. Gregory, we came to tell you that we're leaving early. We have Jason's cell phone number, and we'll keep in contact with him. We'd…we'd very much like you to come to Christmas dinner this year. And…and we'd like it if you want to bring your…partner. I guess that's all. Goodbye." He walked up and laid a hesitant hand on his son's shoulder, then he continued down the hall, sadly silent. Lisa mimicked him by coming closer, but she paused and didn't touch her son. Instead she reached in to the handbag she carried and produced a thick wad of envelopes. She held them out to Greg, who took them curiously. She laid a hand on his wrist.

"I written you many times over the years, but the words were never right. I cry every year on your birthday. Gregory…I've always loved you. I'm sorry that I didn't know how to tell you." She gave him one last sad look, and then followed the direction her husband had taken. If Greg could have slid down the wall, he would have. As it was, he just stood there, rocked to the core by her words. He stared at the letters she had handed them. Some were faded with age, some were newer, but they were all well worn from being read and reread. Jason and Nick looked on as he opened them one after another. Each fluttered from his hand as he finished it, but none were ever finished. They all stopped halfway through, ending with tear stairs and angry scribbles. When the last letter had dropped from his hands he used them to cover his face and drop his head back to hit them wall. Life hated him, he decided, and love was never on time. He walked away down the hall, and for many hours afterwards neither Nick nor Jason could find him. They gave up and left him to his solitude, not saying a word when he appeared in the living room doorway and plopped himself on Nick's lap. Nick only gathered his morose love in his arms and gently rocked him back and forth.

Greg insisted on returning to work with Nick the next day, Monday. Grissom was hesitant to let him, but as Greg pointed out, he didn't need his legs and he could still use his left hand, just not the arm. So long as he held things close to his chest he was still fully functional. He was quiet most of the day, not giving any flamboyant presentations of DNA results like he usually did, and it bothered the team. They'd seen the animosity between him and his parents though, so they kept themselves from asking him anything. They hounded Nick, however. He didn't go in to any private details, but he said that Greg had fought with his parents about Jason, and they'd been on the outs since the boy was born. He felt it wasn't his place to provide any other details.

The next day he was a bit better, and by Wednesday there were no signs of sadness left, though he wasn't exuberant and hyper like he usually was. Nick kept as close an eye on him as he could while he was around, but he had to spend most of the day on Fremont and 14th with Sara. But while he was gone he had the other lab rats act as his eyes, and he made frequent check up calls to various people. He hoped Greg didn't know he was acting like a mother hen. He would either tease Nick or get offended, and neither option sounded appealing. By the time shift was over, Greg was exhausted and Nick could see it in his face when he got in to the lab from processing his homicide/suicide scene. It was still undecided which it was. Greg was only too grateful to get home and fall right in to bed, leaving Nick to check on Jason. The brunette opened Jason's door and scared the poor boy out of a year of growth, since he'd been fervently attached to Natasha's lips. Nick raised an eyebrow at them and told them to keep it clean or he'd keep the intercom on at night and let Jason listen to his two fathers. Jason shuddered as he left, laughing.

In the next couple months Greg returned to normal fast, but his irritation at his incapacities grew with every day. It was evident in the annoyed expression on his face when he had to ask for help and the scowl he unconsciously affected whenever he was stumping around on his own. His arm was slowly regaining function, but he still couldn't flex the muscle or lift anything. It was his legs and his ribs that gave him the most grief. He wasn't sure if his ribs were healing because they were still tender. Nick became exasperated after a while and called the hospital to ask how long the cast would be on. He choked when he was told that Greg still had another ten months to go. Greg was not happy. Actually, he yelled and ranted and kicked his cast-covered leg in to the couch. That turned out to be a bad idea, and Nick had to cover his mouth to drown the screams, so they wouldn't scare Jason.

The months dragged by slowly after that. The CSIs learned when to avoid Greg, and how to spot an impending mood swing. Nick devised ways to divert said mood swings and shared them with his grateful coworkers and thankful son. When he wasn't in a bad mood, Greg was generally happy, and he began to listen to loud music again, which his friends both appreciated and recognized as inevitable torture. Jason's marks in school rocketed with two smart, science-minded men in the house to help him study his problems. When he complained about an English project, the two brunettes discovered a hidden flare for poetry buried deep inside their blonde loved one. Greg had flushed and admitted, very much embarrassed, that he loved to read poetry and he could recite most Shakespeare verbatim. In between work and homework, the two men also taught their son to drive in his birthday car. The first time Jason brought it humming out of the shed, Greg reached out a hand and ran it reverently along the side, whispering to the machine like a horse whisperer for cars. Oddly enough, it was discovered that the car always seemed to ride better when Greg whispered for her, and Jason picked up the habit.

When Greg got full function back in his arm, he returned to kitchen duty at home and doubled his efficiency at the lab, now being able to do everything on his own without having to ask for help. He still paged people to come get their results though, rather than going and handing it over himself, since walking was a pain. He and Nick often spent their nights in heated passion, writhing against each other between the sheets, out of breath, out of control, and out of their minds with happiness. Nick did his best to find a way every day to show Greg that he loved him, and after a while he noticed that Greg had been doing that for him all along. He didn't mention anything. Life continued for everyone in a steady, comfortable rhythm.

On the ninth month of waiting, Jason witnessed a car accident, and had a chance to flash his civilian's badge, which he always kept clipped to his belt and tucked out of sight. The cop who arrived at the scene was very impressed that one so young would have such a badge, and he paid close attention to Jason's statement, which later appeared in the paper, much to the delight of all who knew him. Jason sent a clipping of the article to his grandparents, whom he talked to every so often. Greg didn't care to ask exactly how often. But he cut out his out copy of the article and tucked it away in a scrapbook. Jason received his license soon after and played havoc with the worry button on both his fathers as he played with the boundaries of his curfew. A few long talks were had after the third time he came home at noon without calling.

On the eleventh month of 'imprisonment', Greg was uncontrollable. Knowing he only had one more month left until his leg was free sent him through a loop and he waiting suddenly became unbearable. He kicked his leg at the couch again, but made sure no one was around so that he purposefully missed at the last second and avoided the pain. The maneuver made him look slightly ridiculous, and he was glad he was alone. He became aware of his friends being secretive at work because whenever he walked in to a room, whoever was there would suddenly stop talking or start a whole new subject. His questions were dodged expertly and he hid out in his lab a lot, pouting. What ever it was, Nick was in on it, but even the threat to withhold sex didn't get anything out of him. Greg gave up after a while, and loftily ignored the way people stopped talking around him. Actually, he loftily ignored people. They seemed to find that even more amusing than him trying to find out what they were up to.

_Finally_, an entire year after the accident and his son's birthday party, he was loaded in to the passenger side of Jason's Corvette and they were driving to the hospital. Greg had not gone to California to join his parents for Christmas, but he'd sent Jason by plane, and the youngster returned with many stories of relatives' reactions to him, and many invitations for Greg to rejoin the clan. He was still thinking about it. But as they drove to the hospital, the ragtop down and the wind blowing in their faces, Greg didn't think of anything at all. He closed his eyes and let the air rushing by strip away the worries of the past years and a half. Nothing seemed to matter in the cool wind, and then they pulled in to the parking lot and he beat his family out of the car in his hurry to get the blasted plaster off his limb.

Nick and Jason laughed as he watched the entire time the cast was being removed. He didn't even flinch as the safety saw came within millimeters of his skin. Then it fell away and he greeted his leg like a person, which made even the doctor snort behind his mask and safety goggles. The doctor warned him that it would be weak from disuse of the muscle, but Greg would hear none of it. He lowered himself to the ground and experimented a bit to find his limits. Then he limped over to Nick and grinned.

"Do me," he whispered. Nick threw his head back and roared which laughter, and then they took him home. He had to limp a bit, but it wasn't as dysfunctional as everyone thought it would be. Greg hadn't heard anything, but he'd seen it in people's faces: they didn't expect him to heal right. Four breaks in the same leg, two in the femur, most people never recovered from that. But the blonde had spent many hours just sitting, immersing his mind in his own body, and paying attention to every minute sensation. He knew a long time ago, he'd be just fine. Greg exhausted himself walking from one room to another, enjoying the feeling of being upright, then he sent Jason to bed and pulled Nick in to their room.

Nick watched with soft eyes as Greg slowly undressed them both, and they kissed until they were out of air repeatedly. Greg pinned Nick to the bed and straddled him, loving the closeness. Their hands roamed everywhere, teasing nipples, grabbing muscles, tracing tan lines. Their lips collided again and again, only parting to suckle on hot flesh and nip at each other's neck. Greg shivered when Nick's tongue found that spot just behind his ear and ground his naked groin down in to his partner's. Nick moaned and rolled his hips up, seeking more. Things happened so rapidly that the next thing they knew, Greg was sliding inside Nick and they were both crying out and Nick was clinging desperately to Greg as he moved slowly in and out, angling for the older man's prostate and stroking it every time. His breathing came harsh and uneven as he slid in and stilled. Nick moaned in protest, calling out his name. Greg moved for him, only for him. Then Nick was tightening, spilling all over their stomachs, and Greg didn't last long after that. He came with Nick's name on his lips, whispering it over and over like a mantra. They collapsed side by side and snuggled in close, trying to take in air at a more normal rate. When they calmed, Nick caught Greg's eye.

"Marry me," he said suddenly. Greg smiled, thinking he was kidding.

"That's illegal, love," he bantered back. Nick nodded, his face completely serious.

"Here. It's legal in Canada." Greg's smile grew playfully wider.

"But we're not in Canada," he pointed out, wondering where this game was going. Nick looked so serious as his eyes bored in to Greg's. He shifted a bit so he could see the blonde better.

"Not yet, but we will be in a few months," he declared, leaning away from Greg to fiddle around in the drawer of his nightstand. Greg sat up and gave his back a quizzical look. He was thoroughly confused. When he asked what Nick was talking about, the older man had a hint of laughter in his voice. "I had a year to plan this Greggo," was all he said. Greg watched him shout out in triumph as he pulled something from the nightstand, then he rolled back over and knelt on both knees in from of him. Greg eyed him apprehensively, not sure what to expect. When Nick opened his hand he held out a simple silver band.

"Marry me Greg. Be mine. Forever. I'll be a father to your son, a sun in your rainy days, a vent when you're angry, anything. I'll be everything. Marry me." Nick held out the band and Greg stared at it, speechless. He reached for it reverently and Nick slid it on his to his hand. He twirled it around his finger; it was a perfect fit.

"Nick…I…" he looked up with tears in his eyes and Nick smiled gently.

"Say yes," he whispered. Greg cried out.

"Yes!" he shouted, throwing his arms around his lover's neck. Nick caught him and they rolled together, almost right off the bed. Nick produced an identical band and slipped it on his own hand, and they made love all over again because it felt so right. Then they donned clothes and woke up Jason and the three of them celebrated all throughout the day, during which they should have slept, until it was time to go to work and school. Jason gave them both a great big group hug before heading out in his car, leaving the two men alone. They stood in the doorway of _their_ house and held hands, staring deep in to each other's eyes.

"Are you happy?" Greg asked his love. Nick smiled and laughed at the absurdity of such a question.

"I've never been so happy," he confirmed. That was all Greg needed. They piled in to Greg's car today, and he drove them to work. It took a few hours for someone to notice. It actually took until lunch, when everyone was in the break room. People were chatting in couplets in various corners of the room, and Greg was talking with Catherine when he made an unconscious hand gesture. The flash of silver caught her eye and she shrieked, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing at Greg's ring with the other. The others gathered around to see what the commotion was. Catherine insistently pointed at his hand, and Greg sheepishly hand it up, wiggling his fingers. Catherine's hand came down shakily.

"You're engaged?" she breathed. Nick came up behind Greg and wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist, smiling brighter than the sun ever had. He held up his own hand and entwined it in Greg's so that their bands rested next to each other. Catherine shrieked again and threw her arms around them both, and congratulations flowed from the group. Nick told them how he'd proposed, and they all confessed to helping him plan the trip to Canada, although none knew it was so that they could marry. Sara and Catherine dabbed at their misty eyes, and the men all crossed their arms gruffly. The happy couple, in the midst of it all, only had happy eyes for each other as they swayed side to side and smiled together.

Both Greg's parents and Nick's parents came to the wedding, and Greg had a long talk with Mark and Lisa. At the end, he found the beginnings of forgiveness budding inside his no-longer lonely heart. Jason served as Best Man for them both, they had no others stand with them, and an old college friend of Nick's who had gone in to the priesthood joined them in holy matrimony. Jason flew to California while Nick and Greg spent their honeymoon in the middle of nowhere in a Canadian cabin in the woods, redefining their conceptions of love. When they returned to Vegas, they were fully aware that the state of Nevada did not recognize them as spouses, but their hearts would know the truth. The city did not recognize Nick as Jason's father, but the teen knew different. Their small, tight family fell in to life with smiles, happy hearts, and enough love to knock Jesus off his cross.


End file.
